Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter Album Review

To be alive is to be a witness to many possibilities, Beyond that, there is also the possibility of being and becoming – manifesting what one may not have thought of earlier, or may not have looked at earlier.

Look no further than American singer Beyonce for the latest example of this reality. The singer and businesswoman, 42, is long famous as an RnB and soul ace, one with several sterling tunes in the genre.

But she recently made it glaringly clear that she is not a one- or two-genre wizard but a woman who can delve into new music orbits with ease and sand out in them all. Enter her latest “Cowboy Carter,” her latest album and a definitive leap into a new universe – that of country music

What’s with this new body of work and what is it focused on? We answer that question and more in this article. So tag along as we split the new project in bits.

Sounds & Whistles & The Waiting Game

Beyonce didn’t just wake up and treat fans to this project. There was the “whisper season” when minor details of what was cooking seeped through social media.

Country icon Dolly Parton, who has a close relationship with the singer and her mother, dropped sporadic bits about what’s coming. And then, finally, fans had a chance to immerse themselves in the world of the project. The wait was over.

Artwork

For this project, Beyonce made it a point to embrace symbolism in the artwork. Yeah, we know cowboys for their obsession with horses and their symbolic hats which have become known as cowboy hats.

Well, for the album, the songstress made it a point to project the cowboy image through the cover art. The artwork showed her sitting sideways on a white horse, with a cowboy hat perching on her head.

She looked Mexican. She looked glamorous. But the most glamorous,m as you will find out in a bit, are the songs ensconced with the project. Come on.

Tracklist

Unlike extended plays or EPs, albums are known for the generous number of tracks they house. Beyonce’s latest offering is no different. The songstress wanted to explore a lot and she did just that – a massive 27-track affair.

The compilation begins with a number dubbed “American Requiem” and ends on a note of “Amen.” The titles of the first and last tracks of the project are markedly symbolic and bring a lot to mind even before you listen to them.

Between those two are tracks like “Blackbiird,” “My Rose,” “Bodyguard,” “Daughter,” “Flamenco,” and “Tyrant,” and we are still counting…

Track Title	Artist(s)	Duration
AMERIICAN REQUIEM	Beyoncé	5:26
BLACKBIIRD	Beyoncé, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts	2:12
16 CARRIAGES	Beyoncé	3:48
PROTECTOR	Beyoncé & Rumi Carter	3:05
MY ROSE	Beyoncé	0:54
SMOKE HOUR ★ WILLIE NELSON	Beyoncé & Willie Nelson	0:51
TEXAS HOLD ‘EM	Beyoncé	3:54
BODYGUARD	Beyoncé	4:01
DOLLY P	Beyoncé	0:23
JOLENE	Beyoncé	3:10
DAUGHTER	Beyoncé	3:24
SPAGHETTII	Beyoncé, Linda Martell, & Shaboozey	2:39
ALLIIGATOR TEARS	Beyoncé	3:00
SMOKE HOUR II	Beyoncé & Willie Nelson	0:30
JUST FOR FUN	Beyoncé & Willie Jones	3:25
II MOST WANTED	Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus	3:29
LEVII’S JEANS	Beyoncé & Post Malone	4:18
FLAMENCO	Beyoncé	1:41
THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW	Beyoncé & Linda Martell	0:29
YA YA	Beyoncé	4:35
OH LOUISIANA	Beyoncé	0:53
DESERT EAGLE	Beyoncé	1:13
RIIVERDANCE	Beyoncé	4:12
II HANDS II HEAVEN	Beyoncé	5:42
TYRANT	Beyoncé	4:11
SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’	Beyoncé & Shaboozey	4:57
AMEN	Beyoncé	2:26

Features

Guest artists on a track – or features, if you please – are like condiments to a pot of stew, contributing to the taste in more ways than one. For this project, Beyonce made it a point not to walk alone. Really, one wouldn’t have expected her to release a solo album of this length anyway,

songstress worked with the likes of Linda Martell, Shaboozey, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Willie Jones, Rumi Cater, and Dolly Patyon, among others.

It is unclear what went into the selection of the guest artists. But as you will find out in a bit, the choices are irreproachable.

Key Songs

IN almost every project – from whichever artist – there are bound to be favourites, songs that hit harder or stand out more than the others. Here, of course, to each his experience and subjective universe.

Regardless, we have no qualms pointing out some of the songs that resonated with us the most. A very easy pick in this respect is “Tyrant,” a collaborative work with Dolly Parton. The two hit it off effortlessly.

One can also point to “Daughter” (track 11) and “Amen” (the last track in the project) as among the key songs – for us. “Amen,” in particular, stands as a symbolic and powerful close to the album. And no, she wasn’t on some proselytising adventure with that number.

Themes

An album of 27 tracks has enough orbit for several themes to root. Indeed, it might be said that several themes are actually rooted in the singer’s project. How many are you able to guess?

Well, through her “Cowboy Carter” country offering, Beyonce explored love, personal faith, with lashings on an abiding love for the good life thrown in. What you have here, of course, is only a few of the themes the songstress explored with the project. Listen through and you will be able to embrace the rest.

Summing Up

When some people think of “Cowboy Carter,” they imagine they have seen the singer’s first exploratory run down the country orbit. But this is actually not the first time the songstress has explored country music. Her oeuvre encapsulates sporadic flashes of country.

With this album, fans get to have an extended view of this flash. Not bad. Beyonce, worked with one of her children, Rumi, on this project. One gets the feeling that she is slowly introducing her kids into the world which made her into the rich and famous icon that she is today.

As a whole, this album hits differently. It promises a lot and delivers just that. Now you know why you have to love it. “Cowboy Carter” is here, mates. Join the trot.

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