Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” Has Dropped: Here Are the Reviews!

Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter" : Here's the Tea

Even if you aren't a Beyoncé fan, if you are a gay, then you saw your social media vomit with "Cowboy Carter" references. Lord knows we've seen an infinite number of thirsty dancing vids to Beyoncé's teaser single, "Texas Hold 'Em." Well, the Queen's eighth studio album dropped at midnight and everyone's in a tizzy with their opinions, rabid loyalty, and memes.

 

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This is the second installment of her trilogy project, conceived during COVID. Titled a country album by description, it actually has sounds and textures from rock, blues, soul, opera, flamenco, R&B, and folk. Does it sound country? Well, yes and no. Whatever it is, it certainly is something. Beyoncé was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and would attend the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo every year with her family all dressed up in her western gear. She also performed at the Rodeo a handful of times. So, yes, country music was part of her upbringing and early musical exposure. She's legit.

The album is BIG. There's 27 tracks, 80 minutes of music, collabs with Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson, and fab covers that include Parton's Jolene and The Beatles "Blackbird." Beyoncé also shines a spotlight on some lesser known country artists. Each track has a country element to it, but loosely. The album, whether you are a fan or not, is skillfully put together and the result is a journey.

The Queen Bee took to Instagram:

"This album has been over five years in the making. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history. The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound. I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album."

Here's what the reviews are saying:

The Washington Post: For its five-year gestation, nearly 80-minute runtime and history-making ambitions, “Cowboy Carter” still feels somewhat undercooked.

Variety: It sounds pretty magnificent, if a short answer is required. But if it’s genre we all really want to get into, “Cowboy Carter” sounds kinda country, and kinda not — in a way that feels wholly country. Because what is modern country music if not a cornucopia that’s a long way past being defined by a single sound? As a whole, “Cowboy Carter” is a masterpiece of sophisticated vocal arranging, laid out on top of mostly fairly stark band tracks

Page Six: “Cowboy Carter” is the revival that country music so desperately needed.

The New York Post: This is Bey unplugged, raw and rootsy, two-stepping across the color lines that took “Texas Hold ’Em” — the banjo-picking bluegrass stomper that previewed “Cowboy Carter” last month — all the way to No. 1 on the pop chart, while making her the first black woman to top the country chart.

The Guardian: There are a lot of fantastic songs in the first part of Cowboy Carter, although its sheer length starts proving a problem. If the results don’t quite hold together, Cowboy Carter still proves Beyoncé is impressively capable of doing whatever she wants.

 

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