Beyoncé, chart-topping singer and record-breaking performer known for her music styles of pop and R&B, unveiled her venture into the country music genre with her newest album, “Cowboy Carter.”
Beyoncé released her first two country songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em’’ and “16 CARRIAGES,” on Feb. 11 during Super Bowl XLVIII and on March 12, she announced the title of her new album, “Cowboy Carter” to Instagram.
After receiving backlash and being told that she was “Anti-American” after performing at the 2016 Country Music Awards (CMA), Beyoncé spent eight years working on her country album and according to AP News, “became the first Black woman to ever top Billboard’s country music chart.”
The title of the album was inspired by the original black cowboys of the American West and the release of this album was very significant. It sparked various conversations across all platforms, whether good or bad.
“Beyoncé releasing a country album is very significant because it demonstrates her versatility as an artist. Many musicians who have high artistic aspirations like her don’t appreciate being pigeonholed as simply a ‘Pop’ artist or an ‘R&B’ artist,” said Darren Litzie, a professor in the music department.
It is speculated that the cover for “Cowboy Carter” symbolized the “reclamation” of the flag while others saw it as paying respect to black rodeo stars, more specifically rodeo queens who hold a flag after a victory.
The cover of “Cowboy Carter” features Beyoncé sitting on a white horse wearing a red, white, and blue outfit and a cowboy hat, while also holding an American flag.
“I think the cover accomplishes what every effective album cover does. It catches your eye and makes you curious about what the music on the album sounds like,” said Litzie.
After the release of “Cowboy Carter” Beyoncé received racist backlash and outrage because it was “born out of” her uncomfortable experience at the 2016 CMA’s. She sang alongside the Chicks, previously known as The Dixie Chicks, who were blacklisted from the music industry due to their criticism of George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq War.
“I don’t think there is any controversy necessarily behind the album, but I do think that it is about exploring this idea of genre and what this means in art and music. Artistically it is a very interesting album but she is definitely pushing boundaries,” said Lori Bindig Yousman, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor in the School of Communication, Media and the Arts.
“This is a very political album, the first track is ‘AMERICAN REQUIEM’ and a requiem is a musical piece typically written for those who have passed, which makes us wonder what she is trying to say about America,” said Bindig Yousman.
Out of all 27 tracks in this album, some of the most popular songs include “YA YA,” “II MOST WANTED,” “LEVII’S JEANS,” and “BLACKBIIRD.”
“I think the whole album is really interesting and I really like ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ because it is fun and catchy and since I have heard it so much. For songs that haven’t been played on the radio much, I really enjoy ‘DAUGHTER’ and ‘YA YA’ because of their incorporation of other popular
songs,” said Bindig Yousman.
According to AP News, “‘COWBOY CARTER’ weaves canonized classics into the same breath as Beyoncé’s country music evolutions and Black music history preservations.”
The album featured a lot of cover songs as well as word-spoken contributions by artists like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Other notable collaborations include Miley Cyrus and Post Malone.
“Overall, this album was very interesting to me and even though it’s not my favorite type of music, I really enjoyed listening to her new songs,” said sophomore Kaleigh Porcu.
