Review Summary: cowboy cosplay
Let’s briefly look back at the absolute firestorm that broke out when Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road”. Despite the song’s utter commercial dominance and cultural impact, it also became the subject of a major controversy: being expelled from Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for – in their words – "not [embracing] enough elements of today's country music". And while this may seem like a minor blip in X’s career today, the discourse back in 2019 was
extensive. The backlash against Billboard sparked a lengthy discussion about the inclusion of non-white artists in country music, as well as what actually constitutes “country” in the first place.
But “Old Town Road” is far from the first instance of this happening. In fact, you only need to look back to 2016 for another example: Beyoncé’s “Daddy Lessons”, featuring The [formerly Dixie] Chicks. And much like “Old Town Road”, it caused quite the uproar when it was released – to the point that the Recording Academy outright
refused to classify it as country at all. Then there was the CMA Awards performance of the song, which prompted even more pushback from industry veterans. Unfortunately, I don’t think this debate will end any time soon; as long as Nashville continues to gatekeep and genre traditionalists continue to whine, outsiders will struggle for the sweet taste of credibility. But that doesn’t mean Beyoncé has given up. Just check out
Cowboy Carter – the second album in her Trilogy project – for proof of that.
Eight years later, Queen Bey has finally returned to the world of country music – this time on a much grander scale. And say what you want about the previous accusations regarding her authenticity, but her interest in the genre isn’t as strange as you’d think. She was exposed to a wide range of country and zydeco during her upbringing in Houston, influences she was eager to integrate into this new record. And for what it’s worth, “16 Carriages” was an extremely promising lead-off single: a slow-burning, gospel-tinged cross between country and R&B with a flair for the dramatic. Unfortunately, the other lead-off single “Texas Hold ‘Em” took a much
less effective approach to this new sound, being a hokey, cliche-ridden piece of folk-pop fluff.
These songs perfectly illustrate how inconsistent
Cowboy Carter is, in both style and substance. For every track that comes off as well-executed or faithful to the record’s purported western tone, there’s another that derails the entire mood and takes you out of the experience. Hell, just take a gander at the opening salvo! “Ameriican Requiem” begins the record in glorious fashion, a sweeping ballad awash with rich harmonies and hypnotic sitar work. Maybe the vocal histrionics get a bit over-the-top, but they certainly don’t hinder the experience. And then? All of this
immediately goes out the window with the cover of “Blackbird”. The original Beatles track gets lazily sampled in its entirety, and with the exception of some soulful vocal harmonies, Bey brings nothing new or unique to her rendition. This is the first of many filler songs that belong on the cutting room floor.
After all, this thing is 79 minutes long! And boy, does it
not need to be. While there are some interludes that help break up the pace – including a few “radio”-style guest appearances from Willie Nelson! – they don’t do much to mitigate the album’s bloat and excess. And by the time we get to the middle section of
Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé starts deviating from the “cowboy” part entirely for some truly strange detours. There are a few decent, if inoffensive cuts like “Bodyguard” and the cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”; and then… there’s “Spaghettii”. What was she thinking with this one? It’s the most generic braggadocious hip-hop song you can imagine, and has absolutely
no bearing on the record’s themes whatsoever. It doesn’t have any place on this tracklist, and doesn’t exactly work as a standalone track either.
It’s a shame that
Cowboy Carter drowns in all of this overindulgence, because it distracts from the true gems on offer here. Without a doubt, the biggest highlight (aside from “16 Carriages) is “II Most Wanted” – a lovely acoustic ballad that benefits from the vocal chemistry between Bey and Miley Cyrus. This is a duet in the most balanced sense of the word; the two constantly trade off lines, harmonize beautifully, and conjure images of an old Wild West partnership with their lyrics. Then there’s the somber, contemplative “Just for Fun”, whose slow guitar and dreamy strings give off that “riding into the sunset” vibe that caps off many classic Western movies. These tracks demonstrate the potential
Cowboy Carter had, and what it could have been if Beyoncé took a deeper dive into this style of music.
Sadly, some of the old controversies from 2016 and 2019 have reared their heads again. For instance, several country radio stations refused to play “Texas Hold ‘Em” upon its release, reigniting the old debates regarding gatekeeping, racism, etc. But here’s the thing: in the year of our lord 2024, Beyoncé is at a much greater vantage point than before to release something like
Cowboy Carter. Not only has country (very, very slowly) started becoming more accepting of the “outsider” artists I mentioned previously, but the aforementioned Trilogy project has given her grounding to release more experimental, eclectic material. Truth be told, I wished she leaned into this country sound
more; as it is, the project just sounds like Beyoncé country cosplay. If we got 10-12 solid tracks in the vein of “16 Carriages” or “II Most Wanted”,
Cowboy Carter could have been a slam dunk. Unfortunately, the record stands as a bloated mess that doesn’t fully know what it wants to be.
