In between the tracks, Cowboy Carter also includes a few introductory announcements by Nelson, Parton, and Martell, giving the album an almost radio-like listening experience. It is also peppered with audio samples, similar to her earlier tracks (one is reminded of her 2013 release, Flawless, which included a speech by feminist writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). For Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé uses a similar technique.

In track 12, SPAGHETTII, Linda Martell opens the song by reciting the following lines: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand…But in practice, well, some may feel confined…” the song proceeds with a trap-rap section then ends with Beyoncé in duet with Shaboozey for a ballad-rap culmination. It’s no short of an eargasm, so to speak. Among the 29 tracks, SPAGHETTII encompasses the album’s onus: to spark a conversation on boundaries—in music, art, and creation.

For surefire hits, fans will delight in II MOST WANTED, where the singer goes head-to-head in a heartfelt ballad with Miley Cyrus. The song’s arrangement emphasises both artists’ unique voices, made even better by a long array of vocal harmonies and blending. A definite shoe-in on the charts. Another fun find in Cowboy Carter is a surprisingly cute love song featuring Post Malone titled LEVII’S JEANS. For The Beatles fans, give the Blackbird cover a listen as well. 

In an announcement post for the album, the artist said, “[Cowboy Carter] was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed... and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”

Hailing from Houston, Texas, the singer grew up loving and living the tenets of country music. Her artistic roots trace back to her joining talent shows as young as seven, eventually cast under an all-girl group, Girls Tyme. This would pave the way for her to enter and conquer charts with the renowned pop group Destiny’s Child. Forward to today, this album represents the artist returning to her origins and celebrating the music she grew up with, breaking boundaries about race and inclusivity. 

In its entirety, Cowboy Carter is an ode against expectations, all the while paving new ways of listening, seeing, and appreciating music. It asks us to expand the breadth of our creativities and perceptions thereof.

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It’s safe to say Beyoncé’s done it again. Since the shift with her self-titled 2013 album, the singer has defied expectations with Lemonade, Renaissance, and now Cowboy Carter: Act II. Her works are increasingly charged with poignant truisms, both political and artistic, further establishing a long-known fact that Beyoncé is truly in a league of her own.

For those who question the singer’s roots and the album’s genre, with Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé simply turns all that on its head, raising the even bigger question—what’s a genre, and who are its gatekeepers?

At the end of the day, as mentioned in one of the marketing plugs for Cowboy Carter, the artist is careful to remind us all: this is not a country album; this is a Beyoncé album.

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