Beyoncé's Venture Into 'Cowboy Carter'

Although, Beyoncé's racial experience does appear to have prompted her exploration within the genre, the album is neither vapid, gimmicky, or... even country, per se.

Beyoncé writes that "Cowboy Carter" was "...born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t."

The Lone Star State native appears to be referencing her 2016 appearance at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, when she performed "Daddy Lessons" from her album "Lemonade" alongside the Chicks (previously the Dixie Chicks), who were "canceled" within the country music industry, years before "cancel culture" came into vogue.

Following their performance, Beyoncé encountered a range of responses, from indifferent looks to outright racist hostility, both from the audience and online.

Beyoncé writes: "Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

The result isn't a country album, as we have been told, but instead, 27 varied tracks stemming from what the artist says was "taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

Note: Track titles include the double letter "i" as Roman numerals, indicating this is her "second act," a continuation of the previous "Renaissance" project.

Genre-Blends and Collaborations

"Cowboy Carter" is a true fusion of American roots music, with the anticipated pop and R&B influences, but the shackles of genre do not stop Beyoncé from launching into an 18th-century Italian Opera classic, "Caro Mio Ben” in the middle of her eleventh track, titled, “Daughter.” 

The genre-bending work includes familiar covers of iconic songs like "Blackbird" by the Beatles and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, which is nothing like a karaoke performance of the heart-wrenching classic. Instead, Beyoncé reaches into chapters of her autobiography and reworks the song to reflect themes of infidelity that call back to her "Lemonade" era, gut-punching listeners with harrowing lyrics like: 

We’ve been deep in love for twenty years / I raised that man, I raised his kids.

But, in the album's twelfth track, "Spaghettii," the familiarity offered by the covers is cast aside, with a cameo in which Linda Martell questions the concept of genres.

Linda Martell says:

Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?/ Yes, they are/ In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand/ But in practice, well, some may feel confined.

Beyoncé proceeds to deliver a minute-long rap, culminating with the line: 

I ain’t no regular singer, now come get everythin’ you came for.

Later in the album, on "II Most Wanted," listeners are treated to a true duet, evermore rare in modern music stylings, with the raspy and low-toned yet strong vocalist, Miley Cyrus, a modern genre-breaking country music heiress, in her own right.  

Samples and interpolations from artists like Chuck Berry, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, the Beach Boys, and Patsy Cline demonstrate a mastery of Beyoncé's ability to traverse all corners of the musical landscape.

Even while noting Beyoncé's progressive politics, which make their clearest appearance on a late track, "Ya Ya," in a nod to black artists that toured on the "Chitlin Circuit," if she wanted simply to opt for a race-baiting gimmick, I feel she could have done so in under a dozen tracks. Yet, with the expansive exploration and the collaborative appearances of true blue veterans like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, I expect the album will land as a more important cultural contribution than the hoedown-dancing TikTokers initially led us to believe.

Themes of Depth and Complexity

But what about themes? I repeat: This is not a vapid work. While Beyoncé is known for exuding confidence, there is a rare vulnerability offered, pulling from personal story-telling associated with folk genres. 

While conservatives can decide what level of "appropriateness" they prefer as far as adult-themed references or undertones that do appear on "Cowboy Carter," ranging from a song featuring Post Malone titled "Levii's jeans," where they talk about the classic denim jeans and.... butts, to more taboo lyrics that appear in "Riiverdance," along the lines of what listeners heard in Beyoncé's previous works of "Partition" and "Drunk in Love." 

More broadly, the album's opening songs, "Ameriican Requiem," "16 Carriages," and "Protector," are anything but mindless dance tunes with risque themes. I am compelled to argue that the songs feature surprisingly conservative, introspective, and pro-family themes, including reflections on her decades-long marriage and motherhood. 

Frankly, she's singing "Amen," 45 seconds into the first track of the album, "Ameriican Requiem."

 And here's the track's outro:

(When I sang the song of Abraham)
(When the angels guide and take my hand)
(Oh, no)
Goodbye to what has been
A pretty house that we never settled in
A funeral for fair-weather friends
I am the one to cleanse me of my Father's sins
American Requiem
Them big ideas (Yeah) are buried here (Yeah)
Amen

The album's closer, titled "Amen," directly ties back to this outro of "Ameriican Requiem."

I'm not trying to convince you that "Cowboy Carter" is a gospel album with a couple of raunchy tracks. Although, the longest song on the album, "II Hands II Heaven," manages to blend both spiritual themes and intimacy in a way that forces us to re-examine the lyrics, "Lost virgins with broken wings that will regrow" sung as arguably the best vocal performance on the record. 

And I'm not the only one who noticed somewhat unexpected themes, as Reid Sperisen wrote for Daily Bruin:

Wholly original in its unique mix of eclectic sounds, “COWBOY CARTER” blends whimsical and wistful themes of family, faith and freedom. The result is an experimental record that, though at times uneven, is proudly American and deeply human.

At this point, you might think that I'm trying to sell you the album, or that I am deeply invested in whether you listen to it or not. I realize it's not made for everyone, and I don't expect a universal audience. I'm sure I will gravitate to a couple of tracks to keep in my playlist rotation and forget about the rest. 

If it's not to demand your fandom, why did I bother telling you about the album? The reason I am informing you that there is a lot more to "Cowboy Carter" than the abbreviated "black woman does country" take is because you may have a friend or family member who is part of the audience propelling this album to this year's top debut, on course for many awards and accolades.

I'm here to inform you that your sister, niece, or co-worker is neither stupid nor crazy if they take to the artwork. Beyoncé clearly set out with an artistic vision that many have wrongfully brushed off as a marketing tactic or racial stunt, but I believe the work has a potential musical legacy in the making. 

Are they going to use it to celebrate "Black Excellence?" Probably. In a society that craves a shift from harmful stereotypes, asking for an elevated Black popular culture away from destructive themes, we should embrace culturally rich and meaningful expression wholeheartedly. 

We ask for alternatives to modern artists like Ice Spice, who was popularized by the potty lyrics, “Think you the s***, b****? You not even the fart." As the preferred choice arrives on horseback, adorned with a pageant sash and the U.S. Stars and Stripes waving proudly, we're served a higher cultural experience on a silver platter. So, saddle up and enjoy the ride!