Cowboy Carter [2xLP]

Description

The follow-up toRenaissanceis a powerful and ambitious country album cast in the singular mold of Beyonc. She asserts her rightful place in the genre as only a pop star of her incredible talent and influence can do.

OnCowboy Carter, Club Renaissance is swapped out for KNTRY Radio Texas, an AM station hosted by an ever-hazyWillie Nelson. Here she re-contextualizes roots musicAmericana, folk, countryfor a contemporary moment, reminding listeners that Black artists were the genesis of these forms and never stopped playing them, despite what Hollywood or Nashville might have on offer. Even before the album dropped, the associated visuals reignited a dialogue about Black countrys legacy that started in 2018 with the success ofLil Nas Xs Old Town Road and Dallas culture criticBri MalandrosYee Haw Agenda. With Beyonc as conduit, shes made these historical connections fun, though no one would accuse her ofedutainmentshesperformedat the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeomore than once. Nor isCowboy Carteran explicitfuck youto those who rejected her back in 2016, but its a show-and-prove that she knows better, that she belonged on that stage, and so do all the Black country and rock musicians shes brought along to Carter Ranch. Wellthe albums rodeo chitlin circuit conceit, which refers to the venues that would allow Black musicians to perform in the segregated South, may be an explicitfuck you.

Pitchfork