Cowboy Carter

COWBOY CARTER: a reclamation of country’s roots

Beyoncé’s genre-obliterating ‘COWBOY CARTER’ is a twenty-seven-track tribute to African-American heritage, restoring the erased origins of country music, which prior to its release has undoubtedly been overlooked. Since the birth of this megastar, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has always embraced her ethnic background with pride; a Louisianan Creole and African American mix, though deeply rooted in Houston, Texas, which she spent most of her childhood in. Bey is no stranger to embodying this, as she references it consistently, through her 2013 track ‘Haunted,’ to Lemonade’s ‘Daddy Lessons’ and most notably ‘Formation,’ ultimately reminding people that no one should be scared to show their identity. 

‘COWBOY CARTER’ is the second part of an album trilogy project, opening with the dance/pop album ‘RENAISSANCE’ back in 2022. Though her sound is completely different, her intentions have never been clearer. Controversy struck at the 2016 Country Music Awards (CMA’s), where they removed her performance of ‘Daddy Lessons’ due to racist backlash they were getting online from a predominantly white audience. Not only was she disappointed, but it further exacerbated the reason ‘Daddy Lessons’ was created in the first place; it was a song completely dedicated to showing the struggles of simply being a minority. After also losing ‘Album of the Year’ to Adele’s 25 (to which she even thought Lemonade was more deserving), and putting her deeply personal struggles with unrequited love to her melancholic album, she goes off the radar, plotting the trilogy out of pure revenge. Regardless that ‘COWBOY CARTER’ was originally meant to come before ‘RENAISSANCE’, Bey sets the scene with ‘AMERIICAN REQUIEM:’ a gospel, blues and folk-integrated introduction, where she references both her Texan roots (“they used to say I spoke too country,”) and the backlash she received from the country ‘community’ (“then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country enough.”) She reinforces that “they don’t know how hard I [Beyoncé] had to fight for this,” in regards to the racially-provoked judgment that she receives for any song she releases. The song is quite literally an American Requiem, a “funeral for fair-weather friends”, shedding light on the deceased souls who fought for their identity, closing with a prayer, “Amen.” Equally as important, Track 2 is a cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘Blackbird,’ an ever-lasting anthem for hope, revolving around the abolishment of racial inequality as the “blackbird fly [flies] into the light of a dark black night.” She features four emerging female black country artists on ‘BLACKBIIRD’ showing that not only does she tribute the genre’s past, she also fuels its future. 

Unfortunately, title track ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ received massive hate as Beyoncé switched abruptly from pop albums to the country genre; they still believed Beyoncé couldn’t do country as they didn't bother to listen to its entirety. This particular project is widely considered to be a double album, as the first 11 tracks represent the style of old country music, whereas the last few songs before the closure represent the future of the genre. Track 12 ‘SPAGHETTII’’s abrupt beat completely contrasts with prior song ‘DAUGHTER,’ a solemn gospel track proving only Bey switches it up when she wants to. Featuring Shaboozey, a rising modern country artist, Beyoncé aggressively raps on a heavy-bass, upbeat and modern song for almost two minutes when it switches to reveal its true, inner core, describing the struggles of racial inequality during the outro. Bey uses the name ‘SPAGHETTII’ to mirror the way the song is an organized mess of genres. Only after the familiarly country-sounding ‘ALLIIGATOR TEARS’ (nodding to Louisiana and its alligators instead of crocodiles), is the point of which genres blur. Though I would consider these songs to be more pop, she brings elements of all genres. One of three title tracks ‘YA YA’ blends rock and roll, soul, and funk tributing African-American pioneers in music as “this isn’t a country album, this is a Beyoncé album.” She also received hate in relation to her consistent sampling of older artists, to which she was accused of being unimaginative and plagiaristic, firstly, not knowing the meaning behind the songs, and secondly, not knowing how difficult it is to interpolate samples thoughtfully. Finally, one of her most loved songs by fans in Cowboy Carter specifically; ‘SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN’.” The three separate words are the titles of the individual songs, mashed into a 5-minute 40 second track. These three different sounds basically sum up the timeline of Western music, from a down-to-earth ‘SWEET’ interpolating ‘I fall to pieces’ by Patsy Cline, considered to be the first successful artists to move into pop from country, then to soulful ‘HONEY’ produced in tandem with Pharell Williams, and then to electronic and futuristic ‘BUCKIIN’.’ She finally addresses her Grammy snub, rapping “AOTY I ain’t win… come back and mess up the pen,” pridefully referring to her huge impact on the music industry. 

She collaborates with multiple artists on this album, with music legends: Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Linda Martell, modern artists: Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, and rising artists: Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts showing that to make something truly legendary, you need to consider the past, present and future. As a Beyoncé fan, I personally think this is her best album out of the eight she has dropped in her 24 years solo bearing in mind I’ve never liked country music in general. Not only the message, but the album sonically; having smooth and cohesive transitions between tracks, and just having thought-out songs makes this a very memorable album. 

Personal Album Review:

1. ALLIIGATOR TEARS

2. II HANDS TO HEAVEN

3. SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN’

4. 16 CARRIAGES

5. II MOST WANTED

HM: ‘TYRANT’ for the impact it made online.