Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter review – from hoedown to full-blown genre throwdown
The first song on Beyoncé's eighth album is called "American Requiem", and it has a few different elements to it. The song touches on the current state of the country with Beyoncé urging listeners to stand up for something. She also includes some lyrics that are open to interpretation and have caused quite a stir online. For example, she mentions her father's sins and how she has moved on from them. Beyoncé also references planning a funeral for some fairweather friends who have let her down.
Additionally, it is a bold declaration that showcases Beyoncé's credibility. She claims to be the descendant of a moonshine maker from Gadsden, Alabama and her ancestry can also be traced back to Louisiana. Beyoncé vehemently denies the criticism that she speaks with a southern dialect, arguing that her roots are deeply ingrained in country culture. She asserts that nothing can be more representative of her country background than her family history.
It's kind of unexpected. Beyoncé has always been known for making music that receives high sales and praise from critics. This has given her the confidence to take creative risks without worrying about the consequences. However, when she announced her new project, Cowboy Carter, which has been labeled as a country and western venture, it's understandable why she would want to protect her reputation. Especially since her performance with the Dixie Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards received criticism from some viewers, some of which was blatantly racist.
The country music scene is more of a unique category than a specific genre. It has a well-known reputation for being cautious towards musical acts that are not native to the country music industry, such as the Byrds or Ray Charles. It is governed by a highly conservative Nashville establishment. Additionally, it has a long-standing history of representing the working-class and impoverished communities in rural areas. Therefore, if you are not seen as someone who truly embodies the spirit of country music, you risk being seen as an opportunistic superstar trying to experiment with the genre.
Cowboy Carter is a big deal with 27 songs and lasting 80 minutes. Some important people in Nashville have given it their approval. Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton speak in between some of the songs. Dolly Parton even talks about how Jolene, a character in one of her songs, is like Becky with the Good Hair in Beyoncé's song Sorry. Beyoncé sings a version of Jolene on the album as a way of showing thanks to Dolly Parton. Dolly has been trying to get Beyoncé to sing Jolene for years, but with some changes to make it more threatening instead of pleading. Beyoncé doesn't usually sing sad love songs, so this version fits her style better.
In another part of the article, it is mentioned how the singer deals with the dilemma of composing a country song when she is worth a staggering $800 million. To tackle this issue, she explores a murder ballad style of storytelling in her track, Daughter. To add more depth to the song, the singer even incorporates an 18th-century opera feel to it. In addition, she also narrates her early years as part of Destiny's Child in ways that would appeal to the Nashville audience in her song, 16 Carriages. By stating, "At 15 the innocence was gone astray. Had to leave my home at an early age," the singer presents herself more like an outcast and unmarried mother, rather than someone who toured with superstar acts like Dru Hill and SWV.
Some people might think it's a little too much praise, but Daughter and 16 Carriages are truly amazing songs. They have beautiful melodies and 16 Carriages even has a rap-like delivery. The first part of Cowboy Carter is filled with many fantastic songs, but it does start to drag on a bit due to its length. However, her version of The Beatles' Blackbird is very clever. The song was actually written to honor the Little Rock Nine, a group of Black students who faced discrimination when they enrolled in an all-white high school in Little Rock in 1957. While there is a bit of a dip in quality in the middle, it quickly picks up again when she goes off-road with the soft-rock sound of Bodyguard. And if you were unsure if Cowboy Carter could be considered strictly country, her surprising hip-hop track, Spaghetti, will confirm that it is not.
Afterwards, the album becomes wild. The song Ya Ya is amazing with an early psychedelic soul vibe and includes a snippet of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walking, a reference to the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations and a possible nod to Mickey and Sylvia's 1958 hit Love Is Strange in the lyrics. Riverdance and II Hands II Heaven bring back the house music sound from Beyoncé's previous album, Renaissance. Oh Louisiana is a short 52-second track with bluesy funk and a high-pitch vocal effect. It's all very well done and entertaining, but it feels like the album is barely holding onto its original theme, with just a few lyrics about rhinestones or whisky and occasional hints of pedal steel guitar.
There's a chance that Cowboy Carter would have worked better as two separate albums. One album focusing specifically on the country-influenced/acoustic material. As it is now, the album feels disjointed at times, more like one of those long albums that offer a variety of songs for listeners to pick and choose from. However, it's possible that the album's eclectic nature is intentional. Despite its unwieldiness, the album showcases Beyoncé's ability to blend different musical styles together, whether it's country, hip-hop, or the baroque post-psychedelic sound that underlies My Rose. While the album may not be completely cohesive, it still proves that Beyoncé is capable of doing whatever she wants when it comes to music.
