Multiple-time Grammy award winner Beyoncé announced her newest country album, “Cowboy Carter,” during the 2024 Super Bowl. Following the announcement, she received many mixed reactions from different people.
Up until now, the talented musician had not strayed away from the pop genre. Many did not know what to expect from her if she was not making her usual type of music.
“This was not a country album, it is a Beyoncé album,” said Beyoncé.
But of course, Beyoncé did not come to disappoint. Her second act of her album “Renaissance” included 27 different tracks including vocals from Post Malone, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, Brittney Spencer, and many more.
The album opens with her leading track “American Requiem.” A repeating pattern in her songs in this album are the extraneous use of the letter I in titles. The song is a ballad of the racial injustice in America and essentially explains how it never really ends, it just changes.
A requiem is something said in remembrance of something, which also opens the possibilities of the multiple interpretations of this track’s meaning.
“My favorite track has to be ‘Bodyguard,’” junior Kailyn Wilding commented. “I love the production and the background vocals. I really love the direction she took with this album, and I’ve been listening to it on repeat.”
Following her first track comes “Blackbird,” a cover of The Beatles song. Paul McCartney, who wrote the song, previously stated that the song was written by him to a Black woman experiencing these problems. A message that is conveyed in this album is bringing broader freedom, especially to Black women, for them to be able to regain momentum within the country music industry again.
Another hit song on the flawless track list is her single “Texas Hold ‘Em,” calling back to Beyoncé’s Texas roots, as she is originally from Houston. The song refers to a popular version of the card game Poker, in which players have to hide their cards down and they can lie to their opponents about their cards. Beyoncé uses this as a metaphor to tell the other person to stop lying and tell her their true intentions so they can spend time together.
Track 10 titled, “Jolene,” is Beyoncé’s personal take on the country classic “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. Parton’s original version is a plea to this woman, Jolene, not to take her man away from her. Her version shows her insecurity, singing that she cannot compare to this woman. In Beyoncé’s rendition, her words are a warning showing her confidence. She is telling the other woman that she cannot come between her and her man. She also puts herself at her level while simultaneously knowing her worth, stating “Jolene, I’m a woman too.”
Beyoncé is truly a woman of many talents. This country album delves into the musician’s roots, reminiscent of her Houston origins. It also shows her versatility as an artist as it is her first album not labeled as pop and shows the unmatched talent she has. Her title as a 32-time Grammy award-winning artist will most definitely change next year.
