On March 29, Beyoncé released the second album in her trilogy of albums. “Act II: Cowboy Carter” follows his 2022 album “Act II: Cowboy Carter.”renaissanceWhen Beyoncé released two of the album's songs, “16 Carriages'' and “Texas Hold 'Em,'' as singles during the 2024 Super Bowl, the album's release caused a lot of buzz.
“Texas Hold'em” rises to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, and Beyoncé first black woman For a country song to reach this milestone.
Despite the album's deep country roots, the artist made it clear: Instagram Please post that this is a Beyoncé album, not a country album.
“I focused on this album as a continuation of 'RENAISSANCE'…I hope this music becomes an experience, creating a new journey where you close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop,” Beyoncé said. .
She also said that the album was five years in the making and represents her experience of not feeling welcome in the country music scene.
Beyoncé at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards executed She performed her deep country song “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks.performance caused outrage All of Nashville. Earlier that year, she released the album Lemonade, which demonstrated her activism for police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement.
This sparked a conversation about her being a black woman in the country genre. Someone made post “Why are you showing me Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks?” on Facebook.One person didn't believe in America and our police, and the other didn't support the president and our veterans during wartime. ”
“Cowboy Carter” features 27 tracks, including spoken interludes from famous country stars Willie Nelson, Linda Martel, and Dolly Parton. The album also features other artists such as Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, and Rumi Carter.
Beyoncé made the album a personal experience by introducing new songs while reinterpreting classics in her own way, such as Dolly Parton's “Jolene” and the Beatles' “Blackbird.”
The project features Parton with her own track titled “Dolly P,” which introduces “Jolene.”
“Do you know that guy with the nice hair you sing about?” Parton Said. “It reminded me of someone I used to know.” Comparing Jolene to “Becky with the good hair” from Beyoncé's “Sorry.”
in Instagram In the post, Parton praised Beyoncé's cover of “Jolene.”
“Wow, I just heard Jolene's voice,” Parton said. “Beyoncé is bothering that girl and she deserves it.”
In an interview with CNNPaul McCartney praised Beyoncé's 1968 cover of the Beatles song, retitled “Blackbird.”
“I think she does a great version of this song, and I think it reinforces the message of the civil rights movement that inspired me to write this song in the first place,” McCartney said in an interview. Instagram post.
“Blackbiird” also features four up-and-coming black female country artists: Tierra Kennedy, Rayna Roberts, Brittney Spencer and Tanner Adele.
The album is an effort to highlight the past and present role of Black artists in shaping country music, and their contributions to an industry that has been overlooked for decades.
Cowboy Carter hosts an interlude entitled “The Linda Martel Show” featuring none other than the famous Linda Martel. She also features on the track “Spaghetti”.
Thanks to “Color Me Country,” Martel first black woman To make a major country album. Despite her historic contributions to the country music scene, she is often left out of discussions about the pillars of country music.
“I dug deeper into the history of country music and researched our rich musical archives,” Beyoncé told Rolling Stone. “It feels good to see that music can unite so many people around the world while amplifying the voices of some people who have dedicated so much of their lives to educating our musical history. is.”
Although the album contains deep, pervasive country notes, Beyoncé's old and new styles shine through in songs like “Daughter” and “Spaghettii.” These songs show that she can embrace her new style without sacrificing the intense energy that is a staple of Beyoncé albums.
“Daughter” shows a new side of Beyoncé singing in another language with her vocal range and power. This song is a ballad track with the 18th century opera song “Caro Mio Ben” inserted as a bridge. It was amazing how they brought out the voices of the chorus while maintaining the low range at the beginning.
“Spaghettii” is a rap song where Beyoncé's old self shines through in the beat and her attitude. It's impressive to see her blend her country roots into a rap song and show that she can do both.
“Cowboy Carter” shows Beyoncé’s emotional range and ability to move people through emotion. From her sense of being in the moment with every song she listens to, to the way she passionately sings about her own life and experiences. She has proven that any style of music can be changed to suit her own talent and will.
For now, I give “Cowboy Carter” a 9/10. My rating may change, but this album is unique, so I can only imagine that it will be rated higher.
