Review: Cowboy Carter Captures Country
Written by: Lyra Wilson
It’s 2 am, the house is silent but my headphones are not. On March 29th, Beyoncé released her latest album. This didn’t come as a surprise drop like her previous albums, but this album came with so many surprises to come.
Right away I was brought into the album with “American Requiem”. Like pulling me into a movie, this song captured the spirit of the spiritual practice of black churches in the South. Once those guitar strums and bass kicked in, we are walking out of the church into the hot southern sun. This album beautifully weaves together a mix of sounds, genres, and inspirations, to convey themes of what it means to be black in America. To grow up, our ancestry, to love, to protect, to have fun, and most importantly, to have hope.
I wondered why I loved the starter track so much, only to discover that Jon Batiste co-wrote and produced the track; the perfect collaboration. His music transcends different genres and sounds while producing soul within his tracks. So to bring that essence, plus his and Beyoncé’s southern roots, created this perfect mix of soul and country. In a few parts of the song, I hear screams that feel reminiscent of Prince, and elongated notes that could be heard on Macy Gray tracks. After the song subsides it perfectly transitions to a cover of The Beatles’ song “Blackbird”.
This is probably the most talked-about venture of the album because she utilizes Paul McCartney’s foot-tapping from the original song. "To hear Beyoncé sing this song feels like she is in the quiet night, gazing up at the stars and dreaming about a better life for herself. This collaboration of great artists is a beautiful tribute to the song's origins, as Paul McCartney originally wrote it to give hope to black people during the civil rights movement."
Digging deeper into the tracks, the first half of the album showcases Beyoncé’s versatility in country. Country and blues for the most part was always about storytelling. Whether about struggles or insight into one’s life. With this tool, she writes an anthem about feeling overwhelmed and underpaid just to take care of our family and make life work in “16 Carriages”. Production was on top of it with what sounds like whips in a way. Adding to the hard labor of life. This then leads the audience through themes of wanting to protect our offspring and protect them in our hearts with the song “Protector” Sometimes we might project onto our children, but it’s knowing that they will find their place in the world someday.
The little tribute to country music pioneers Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Linda Martell, was evident in Beyoncé's rendition of "Jolene" and her hit single "Texas Hold 'Em". "Texas Hold 'Em" is a perfect song about growing into womanhood with a catchy hoedown tune. The pop-country sound of "Bodyguard" is quite similar to that of some musicians in recent decades. The lyrics of this song can be related to the Lemonade album, as they allude to the idea of protecting her husband and preventing any circumstances from coming between them, regardless of what has happened in the past.
The second half of the album changed the game. It reminded me of sounds of the South or black culture. The song “Spaghetti” starts us off with trap/hip-hop sounds. I remember living in the Atlanta area and hearing a lot of music like this blasted from cars. She shares a prominent song in “Alligator Tears,” with the sounds of the bayou. Like the movie Princess and the Frog, the lyrics help to showcase what we ultimately deserve in life; the ability to have love. Desert Eagle off this album, I had to almost do a double-take. With swampy, funky bass sounding similar to Thundercat’s “Them Changes” song, was another love song added to the mix. Giving that 70s-era black funk to the mix.
One of the most popular songs on the album, "II Most Wanted", is simply perfect. Miley Cyrus was originally known as the country-pop queen, and her more mature voice after her rock/pop phase makes it feel like she's returning home.
Next up on this list is my personal favorite YA YA. We traveled back in time into the 1960s with this one. It was like watching a 60’s television variety show, like The Ed Sullivan Show and the black girl groups come on stage. All the song's influences capture America's bright sounds at that time. Like utilizing Nancy Sinatra’s “Boots Are Made for Walkin” sample, “Good Vibrations chorus from the Beach Boys, and giving her best Elvis impression toward the latter half of the song. Juxtaposing the bright upbeat sounds of the 60s, the lyrics, however, serve as a reminder of how blacks were treated during this time. From burning houses, feeling erased, not getting equal pay, and just allowing keeping the faith and keep hope alive.
The latter half of the album gives songs that are comprised of songs that calm us the audience down from the excitement. Songs like “II Hands II Heaven”, guide us through to Pharrell’s produced song, “Sweet / Honey / Buckin”; I didn’t catch Pharrell’s signature three-beat count-off to start his songs. So to find it out later it was produced by him amazed me. After riding off that horse, we slow down to Amen. Bringing us full circle to keeping that soul alive and reigniting us to the beginning of the album.
To even describe this album is too complex for words. The work shines so brightly that I’m speechless. Something about it reminds me of a part of myself. A young black girl who came from the South, listening to a lot of older musical influences, dreaming about a brighter future. Like Lemonade, I see a whole film accompanying this album. Will that happen soon? Will another tour be on the horizon? Let’s wait for that rodeo later and take in the ride into the sunset.
