Beyonce – Cowboy Carter

By: Shem Villacarlos

 

This legendary pop artist needs no introduction as we all know this charting black female artist, Beyoncé. She continues to defy expectations in the music industry as one of the many black artists who redefine musical genres. She is the first female artist in history to debut her first 8 solo albums at number one on the Billboard 200. COWBOY CARTER is one of those albums that debuted as number one. It is the second act of her three-act project, following her last album, RENAISSANCE, and was released on March 29, 2024. Also referred to as Act II: COWBOY CARTER, this album is a rich project that honors the history of black people while weaving her personal experiences into it. It consists of 27 tracks and features 12 different artists, some of them being Linda Martell, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, and Willie Nelson. With a broad range of artists and genres tackled in this project, Beyoncé was very purposeful with how she wanted this album to be indulged in by listeners.

 

With Beyoncé’s leading singles, TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES, she attracted many more listeners to recognize the range of her musical abilities as an artist. Many admire her for her resilience and creativity as a black artist, but coming out with official country music is a game changer. Although many people have questioned if this album has tracks worthy of being featured on country radio stations, I say, y-e-s absolutely yes. Some tracks feature some of the most iconic country artists in DOLLY P, SMOKE HOUR II, II MOST WANTED, and SPAGHETTII.

 

One very honorable artist featured in SPAGHETTII is the one-and-only Linda Martell, who was the first black female artist in country music. This further pushes the statement and honor that goes to many of the black artists in the music industry for continuing to redefine music. Especially with her bigger theme of portraying ‘reclamation’ as we hear in her adventurous sounds with eccentric instrumentals that we haven’t heard from her before. But it is evident with every lyric, song title, melody, and sound that she was very intentional with producing the sound she wanted in COWBOY CARTER.

 

The album explores various media narratives about American history and her identity. While her tracks contain fun and eccentric sounds, she highlights the significance of black people in history and shares her experiences with an emotionally affective concept with country tunes. Especially in BLACKBIRD, with her cover version of the original song Blackbird sung by Paul McCartney that honors civil rights. Beyoncé still includes R&B, soul, and pop sounds in the album too. There is still so much more to highlight in this album that Beyoncé was able to accomplish in it. It’s worth noting that she showcases her abilities as an artist and individual who advocates for others, especially black individuals defying history.

 

Overall, she has done a tremendous job with COWBOY CARTER. I highly recommend everyone to listen to the lyrics and creative decisions she made with intention.

 

Rating: 10/10

Favorite Tracks: DAUGHTER, BLACKBIRD, and 16 CARRIAGES