Beyoncé is back. Her new album “Cowboy Carter” released on March 29, and it definitely made an impression on Beyoncé fans and music lovers all around the world.
This album follows as a second act from her other recent album “Renaissance.” For this record, Beyoncé stepped into the country genre but added her own twist to it. The record contains 27 tracks with features from mega stars like Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. Personally, I was excited to hear something that Beyoncé hasn’t done before, so this album was one I was really excited for.
Now let’s take a deeper look at one of the highly anticipated albums of the year so far.
AMERIICAN REQUIEM: 6/10
Album openers are the most important part of an album in my opinion. It sets the tone and theme on what you are about to listen to. This track already gave a vibe of country and R&B. It was a very soulful song and showcased her vocal abilities greatly. The production quality on this song was amazing, and it made me excited to see what the other songs had to offer. It’s not a track I’d play on repeat, but it was definitely a good album opener.
BLACKBIIRD: 9/10
This track serves as sort of an interlude. It is a cover of The Beatles song “Blackbird,” and the track was a tribute to the Little Rock Nine. The transition from the opener to this one was very seamless and I am always a fan of smooth transitions in albums. It’s not a long song but it gives you so much in just two minutes. This track features Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts. I really enjoyed the overall vibe of the track. It’s slow and again showcases her vocals greatly. The added singers made harmonies sound beautiful, and it was something I appreciated on this one.
16 CARRIAGES: 7/10
This song is one two singles off the album and one of my favorites. It’s another song that gives a country/R&B sound, and by this track, I can start to tell how the rest of the album is going to sound. The production elements are once again amazing. The organ piano in the track adds such a soulful feel, and it adds so much to the song.
PROTECTOR: 9/10
This song is a love song to her three children. It gives a message saying she will love and protect them from anything in this world no matter what. It’s a bit more country than the past songs but again, she doesn’t let go of her own style. I enjoy how relaxed this song is. For this one, there aren’t that many instruments that can be heard, but similar to the other tracks, the overall production quality of the track is simply beautiful.
MY ROSE: 9/10
“My Rose” is another interlude that gives a message that everything can be beautiful, but there is gonna be pain that comes with it. Even though it’s short, it gives a beautiful message and shows her vulnerable side.
SMOKE HOUR ★ WILLIE NELSON: N/A
It’s another interlude that appreciates Willie Nelson’s legacy, and it features him introducing the next track. There was nothing much going on in this interlude, but it’s a great transition to the next track.
TEXAS HOLD ‘EM: 8/10
“Texas Hold ‘Em” is another single off the album. This song was very popular on social media and it had a lot of mixed reviews. For me personally, I feel this one sounds more country than the previous songs but also does include those R&B and hip hop elements that the other tracks include. Overall, it’s not a bad song, and it’s very catchy. It is one that has to grow on me, but with time, I feel it will become one of my favorites
BODYGUARD: 10/10
Bodyguard sounded very pop. It does have those country elements but does include pop sounds. There is nothing special about the track in my opinion, but it’s definitely one of my favorites off the album. Even though it sounds a bit different than the other tracks, I feel it doesn’t make it incohesive, and it fits with the others well.
DOLLY P: N/A
Dolly P is another interlude featuring Dolly Parton. This track is just Dolly introducing the next track. The song she is introducing is Beyoncé’s version of Jolene, so I thought that was really cool.
JOLENE: 9/10
I’m absolutely obsessed with the way Beyoncé did this. She turned a country classic into something modern that fits her style, and I love the way she did it. I love the vocals on this track, and I am obsessed with the production.
DAUGHTER: 10/10
Two words. In. Love. There is something about this song that I LOVE. The songwriting is amazing, and the overall vibe of the track is something that made me fall in love. I was shocked when she switched to Italian for a verse; she sounded so good. This song also shows off her vocals beautifully. The instruments in this song are gorgeous and it gives me classical music vibes, but it is still cohesive with the other tracks which is very important.
SPAGHETTII: 9/10
This track is a complete 360 of what the previous track sounds like. This isn’t a country track and it is more rap/hip-hop. I was scared that this track would mess up the cohesiveness of the album, but for some reason it just works and it still flows. Transitioning from “Daughter” to this was definitely a surprise but it just works. The production on this track is also just simply outstanding and sounds so good. It is one of the shorter tracks, but again, it gives you so much.
ALLIIGATOR TEARS: 7/10
With this song we are back with the more country sounding songs. There’s nothing too special with this one for me personally as it does sound like the other country tracks but overall not a bad song. It is lower on my rankings, but other than that, it is a decent track and does fit the album very well.
SMOKE HOUR II: N/A
Another interlude featuring Willie Nelson introducing the next song.
JUST FOR FUN: 8/10
This song features Willie Nelson. It’s a very chill and beautiful song. There isn’t too much going on production wise, but it’s still really good. My favorite part is the orchestra that peaks through in some points of the song. I feel it adds such a soft aspect to the music, and it sounds beautiful. Willie Jones adds something so special to this track and it is one of my favorites.
II MOST WANTED: 9/10
I was the most excited about this song. Miley Cyrus is one of my favorite singers, so her being on a Beyoncé track made me very excited! It is definitely more of a country song, but they sound so beautiful together. Their voices blend together so well and they compliment each other. It was also nice hearing Miley on a country track again. The song definitely met my expectations and it’s definitely in my top five for rankings.
LEVII’S JEANS: 7/10
This song has a Post Malone feature. I was very curious when I first saw he was gonna be on the album, and I was interested in how they were gonna do it. This one surprised me. Beyoncé and Post Malone just work together so well. I like this song more than I thought I would. It is still the same country/R&B sound, but I also hear a few pop elements in there as well.
FLAMENCO: 8/10
This song title got me very excited because I really like flamenco music so I was fully expecting a flamenco song, but she incorporated flamenco with country and it sounded beautiful. It is a bit on the shorter side but again gives us a lot in just such a short time frame.
THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW: N/A
Another short little interlude of Linda Martell introducing the next song. I love how it is an actual talk show format because it paints a picture of if she’s actually performing on the show.
YA YA: 8/10
The transition from the interlude and to the song was so flawless. It’s definitely a bit more hip-hop/R&B than a country track, but it does still have country elements. This song reminds me of songs you would hear at a southern church as well. Even though it is a bit of a different sound it, again, flows with the other tracks and is cohesive with the rest of the album
OH LOUISIANA: N/A
Another short track that serves as an interlude. There aren’t any words and I see this song as a transitional song to the next track.
DESERT EAGLE: 4/10
This song is only one minute and 12 seconds long so it’s short and doesn’t really give anything too special. Compared to the other shorter tracks, this one is a bit more bland with not too much going on.
RIVERDANCE: 5/10
For this track, Beyoncé incorporated more of a dance beat with country, and I think she did really well. This has a different vibe than the previous ones but it flows well. This is one of the longer tracks but overall it’s nothing too special for me personally.
II HANDS II HEAVEN: 5/10
This one sounds like a continuation of “Riverdance.” It has the same beat and same feel but just two different songs. There are some differences sound wise but overall for me it’s just a continuation of the last track.
TYRANT: 7/10
On this song, Dolly Parton is featured, but she is only heard in the beginning of the track. It is a more hip-hop/R&B song but with country elements. Like most of the songs on the album, it doesn’t stand out for me as a huge favorite but I really like it.
SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN’: 10/10
SO GOOD! It is another 360 from the rest of the tracks and it’s such a good hype song. Although it is very different from the rest of the tracks, it somehow just fits for me personally. I really liked that song towards the end because it just leaves a good impression and it’s such a good hype song.
AMEN: 8/10
Just like the opening track, the ending is very important for me as well. It finishes off the album and is like closing a book. This track is like closing the album. It almost acts as a continuation of “American Requiem” but just as a closing. The end of this track smoothly transitions back to the first track, and I thought that was really neat.
Overall I would give this album a solid 7/10. It’s not my favorite Beyoncé album, but I thought it was good. This album had a lot of people wondering what Beyoncé would sound like in the country, but I thought she did it pretty well. She added her own twist to it and her own style and I really like that. The album has different sounds for some songs, but it wasn’t incohesive and all over the place.
I would recommend this album to everyone just so they can hear how versatile Beyoncé is. This album shows she can try any genre, and she will still keep her top spot in the music industry.