Beyoncé, a 42 year old with over 20 years in the industry particularly in pop, released a country album titled “COUNTRY CARTER.” In the twenty-seven track long album, they convey multiple themes, one being their struggle with racism in the ire of other country artists. Throughout the project, they genre-bends and explores what country music can be. As a non-country listener, I wondered before listening to this album, “Would my dislike of country music hold back an appreciation for this album?” I can sufficiently say that, after the fact, I both appreciate this album and love the direction Beyoncé takes it in.
Beyoncé opens the album with ‘AMERIICAN REQUIEM,’ in which they mentions through the lyrics about how country music, now being “owned” by white people, has been a creation of black people from its inception; moreover, they states how they aims to reclaim it, and further mourns over an America in which racism over something like this doesn’t exist. They follow it up with a cover of ‘BLACKBIIRD’ by The Beatles. One of the two lead singles comes after, titled ‘16 CARRIAGES.’ In it, the 16 carriages represent the first 16 years of their life, where they found their dream to be a music artist, but also in which they witnessed the first struggles of their life.
The next track, ‘PROTECTOR,’ displays Beyoncé’s love for their three children, and how they value them. ‘MY ROSE’ is a song dedicated to one of their twins, Sir Carter. ‘SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON,’ features said artist and pays homage to artists who paved the way for their work.
The second lead single, ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,’ follows in which is a more upbeat song with a strong hook, and also displays Beyoncé’s roots and confidence. The next song, ‘BODYGUARD,’ discusses their intense love, likely as the titular character Country Carter, for their partner while also breaking the trope of the woman needing protection in a relationship.
The next two songs, ‘DOLLY P’ and ‘JOLENE,’ display their respect for trailblazing women in country music. Their next song, ‘DAUGHTER,’ tells the story of Country Carter realizing that another woman has eyes for their partner, and reflects on the qualities of themself and their father, and more importantly, how they are one and the same. ‘SPAGHETTII’ follows the trend throughout the album where songs with an ‘I’ in the title have two. This is a reference to COUNTRY CARTER being act II of their trilogy. More on the actual song, they discuss that Country Carter is less a country album, but more of a Beyoncé album and how it’s meant to be genre bending.
‘ALLIGATOR TEARS’ speaks to a volume that they’ll do anything for the love of their partner. ‘SMOKE HOUR II’ leads into ‘JUST FOR FUN,’ which begins the religious themes throughout the album. ‘II MOST WANTED’ continues the theme of doing anything for your love, while also featuring a duet from Miley Cyrus. ‘LEVII’S JEANS’ with Post Malone displays how Beyoncé can continue to work in pop writing into country melodies. ‘FLAMENCO’ and ‘THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW’ are a quick song and an interlude respectively that are then followed by ‘YA YA.’ In the song, Beyoncé takes on the character of Cowboy Carter performing in the Chitlin Circuit, a popular venue in the past where black artists particularly made a name for themselves.’OH LOUISIANA’ pays homage to their Louisanian heritage. ‘DESERT EAGLE’ contains mentions about showing love to your partner. ‘RIIVERDANCE’ incorporates an Irish step dancing beat into the instrumentation.
‘II HANDS II HEAVEN’ displays their relationship with God and Christianity.’TYRANT,’ featuring Dolly Parton, talks about power dynamics within an intimate relationship. The next song, ‘SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN’,’ is the penultimate song on this album, and makes mention of a lot of the themes of the album. ‘AMEN,’ the final song on COUNTRY CARTER, wraps up the story with a connecting piece to the opener that mentions the struggle of the black experience and talks about how the “house” of the United States was built off of the backs of black people. This is most clearly exemplified in country music.
Moving on from the meaning of the album: does this take on country satisfy a non-country music listener? I can, with confidence, say yes. Their work on weaving genres together combined with incredible use and respect of past artists as a means to build off of their success. However, despite this being a country album, it feels to me as if it transcends any expectations that come along with country music. In summary, as stated by Beyoncé themself, “This isn’t a country album. It’s a Beyoncé album.”
