Beyoncé shook up the Country music world when she dropped two tracks on the night of the Super Bowl, including “Texas Hold ’Em,” our featured track tonight, to country music stations.
Beyoncé finally released her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” and the country bona fides were certainly there. Dolly Parton provides a cameo introduction to Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene,” Parton’s 1972 classic about a woman confronting a romantic rival. Willie Nelson pops in twice as a grizzled D.J., who says he “turns you on to some real good [expletive],” including snippets of Chuck Berry, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the blues singer Son House.
Yet “Cowboy Carter” is far broader than simply a country album. Beyoncé does a version of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and, on the track “Ya Ya,” draws from Nancy Sinatra and the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.” “Desert Eagle” is glistening funk, and the upbeat “Bodyguard” would not be out of place on a modern rock radio station. The album’s range suggests a broad essay on contemporary pop music, and on the nature of genre itself.
Beyoncé stated that she wanted to blend genres and challenge herself with her new 27 track entry. I think she succeeded.
What do you think?
You can preorder the CD for shipment on April 12th or buy the album on whatever digital service you use.
