A deep dive into Beyoncé’s new album ‘Cowboy Carter,’ from Miley Cyrus and Shaboozey to a cover of the Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ and more.
“They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this,” sings Beyoncé on “Ameriican Requiem,” the harmony-laden opener on her eighth album “Cowboy Carter.” Anyone keyed into the promotional cycle leading up to its release knows this well.
A few weeks back, Beyoncé revealed that she came up with the concept for the album, the second in her three-act project that kicked off with 2022’s “Renaissance,” after experiencing an incident where she did not feel “welcomed.” She was likely referring to a performance she gave at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards alongside the Dixie Chicks (as they were then known), which was met with blowback on social media for giving her the spotlight at a country event.
But Beyoncé used the experience as inspiration for “Carter,” which she began working on five years ago. Now, after releasing the singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” in early February, she’s finally unveiled the sprawling 27-track project, a country — or in her words, a Beyoncé — album that toys with the conventions of what country can be and infusing it with tropes and signifiers from other genres. At a hearty 80 minutes, “Carter” is a rebuttal to anyone who doubted that Beyoncé belonged in country music; instead, it retrofits country to Beyoncé, bending and stretching what listeners would expect in a contemporary country album, especially from Beyoncé.
To color in the lines, Beyoncé assembles a coterie of artists across “Carter,” spanning country titans to up-and-comers. The marquee appearances materialize as duets and interludes. Post Malone nabs the first of two high-profile features this year on “Levii’s Jeans” (he’s slated to guest on Taylor Swift’s upcoming album “The Tortured Poets Department,” releasing April 19), while Miley Cyrus lends her vocals to the powerful collab “II Most Wanted.”
“Carter” pays homage to country legends by tapping them for a few cameos on interludes and tracks.
