Beyoncé did warn us. Cowboy Carter is bigger than a country album — it’s a Beyoncé album. The follow up to 2022’s Renaissance is an odyssey through American history and music, stacked with just as many references as its counterpart, covering everything fromclassic rock to opera to rap. “The album is a cornucopia of sounds that Beyoncé loves, and grew up listening to, between visits and eventually performances at the Houston Rodeo,” a press release says. The Queen herself admitted it was a left turn too, even after she made her first foray into country in 2016 with “Daddy Lessons.” “I think people are going to be surprised because I don’t think this music is what everyone expects,” she said.
She didn’t do it alone. Bey worked with many of the same collaborators from Renaissance, including The-Dream, Raphael Saadiq, No I.D., Nova Wav, and her husband, Jay-Z. But this time, she added a number of country and folk artists to the fold — with a particular focus on Black countrymusiciansworking outside theNashville system — andfocused on “real instruments,” likebanjo, pedal steel, washboard, and her own nails.
That all makes for a Texas-sized list of things to unpack. As you two-step through Cowboy Carter, these are the big names and the musical references to know.
Who got invited to the hoedown?
Cam
Known for her 2015 hit “Burning House,” country singer-songwriter Cam contributed to five songs: “Ameriican Requiem,” “Protector,” “Daughter,” “Tyrant,” and “Amen.” Her most recent album, The Otherside, came out in 2020. “My brain and heart have melted,” she said on Instagram of working with Beyoncé.
Tanner Adell
The singer of the viral country-pop song “Buckle Bunny” — where she sang “Lookin’ like Beyoncé with a lasso” — takes the final verse of “Blackbiird” and also sings on “Ameriican Requiem.” After Bey first announced Act II, Adell tweeted at the star asking to collaborate, “as one of the only black girls in the country music scene.” “I always say Beyoncé raised me,” she wrote on Instagram after. “Beyoncé taught me how to be soft but strong. A force of nature. I’ve watched her be forged like metal in the fire of this industry and she remained poised, and grateful.”
Brittney Spencer
One of the backing singers on “Blackbiird” and “Tyrant,” Brittney Spencer first broke out with a cover of the Highwomen’s “Crowded Table” and has performed with Mickey Guyton at the CMA Awards and Brothers Osborne at the ACM Awards. (She’s also been touring with fellow Cowboy Carter guest Willie Nelson.) Spencer has cited Beyoncé as an influence and said that her releasing a country album was “mind-blowing” and “monumental.” She released her debut album My Stupid Life in January.
Tiera Kennedy
Also featured on “Blackbiird” and “Tyrant,” Kennedy blends R&B and country in her music. She’s opened for Kelsea Ballerini and paid tribute to Shania Twain at the ACM Honors, and is readying a debut album this year (with her single “I Ain’t a Cowgirl” coming soon). “I cannot believe it. God is so good,” she tweeted of her feature on Cowboy Carter.
Reyna Roberts
Outlaw country singer Reyna Roberts rounds out the “Blackbiird” quartet, and is also on “Tyrant.” Her music has been featured on Monday Night Football (she’s a Tennessee Titans fan), and she released her debut album, Bad Girl Bible, Vol. 1, last year. “Thank you to everyone who tagged her in my videos and comments, yall made this happen,” she tweeted after Cowboy Carter came out. “This is literally a dream come true.”
Robert Randolph
The wailing pedal steel on “16 Carriages” is courtesy of Robert Randolph, who leads Robert Randolph & the Family Band. The 43-year-old musician performs in the “sacred steel” tradition of gospel steel guitar and was named one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Guitarists in 2010. “She wanted to do something with some playing, with some country fire,” Randolph told Rolling Stone. “She said she liked the way I make my instrument sound like a singer.”
Rumi Carter
Now that Blue Ivy has won a Grammy and toured with mom, it’s six-year-old Rumi’s turn to get in on the family business. Beyoncé’s younger daughter is the first voice we hear on “Protector,” asking her mom to sing her a “wuwwaby.” (Let’s hope Sir gets his spotlight on Act III.)
Willie Nelson
Our DJ on KNTRY Radio is Willie Nelson, the country legend who Beyoncé saw perform at the Houston Rodeo when she was growing up. As a major figure in outlaw country, Nelson knows all about breaking out of the industry’s boundaries. (He also knows all about weed, hence the titles of his interludes, “Smoke Hour.”) “If there’s one thing you can take away from my set today, let it be this: Sometimes, you don’t know what you like until someone you trust turns you on to some real good shit,” he says on “Smoke Hour II.” “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I’m here.”
Rhiannon Giddens
After Beyoncé first dropped “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the BeyHive lovingly nicknamed Rhiannon Giddens, who plays on the track, “Banjo Auntie.” Giddens, a folk musician and Pulitzer Prize winner, has been educating audiences for years on the Black roots of the banjo and country music. “Once Beyoncé picks up the banjo, my job is done,” she told the Believer last year.
Gary Clark Jr.
A Grammy-winning blues-rocker, Gary Clark Jr. rips the guitar solo on “Bodyguard.” The fellow Texas native previously performed with Beyoncé in 2015, for the Grammys’ tribute concert to Stevie Wonder.
Dolly Parton
Decades before Beyoncé sang about Becky With the Good Hair, Dolly Parton was singing about another man-stealer with “flaming locks of auburn hair” on “Jolene.” Parton introduces Beyoncé’s take on her classic revenge song on “Dolly P.” She later gave her approval on Instagram, writing, “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”
Linda Martell
Beyoncé has said Cowboy Carter is “not a country album. It’s a Beyoncé album.” To back up her point, she tapped Linda Martell, the first Black woman to have a country hit and to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? Yes they are,” she says at the beginning of “Spaghettii,” Cowboy Carter’s 180-degree turn into Southern trap. “In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand, but in practice, well, some may feel confined.”
Martell knows this firsthand — she started her career in R&B before a producer told her she should sing country music, and her hit, “Color Him Father,” was a cover of an R&B song. Later, on “The Linda Martell Show,” she introduces “Ya Ya” as a song that “stretches across a range of genres, and that’s what makes it a unique listening experience.”
Shaboozey
Nigerian-American musician Shaboozey is a little country, a little hip-hop, and a little rock. Fittingly, he ad-libs on “Spaghettii,” Cowboy Carter’s Southern rap interlude. He later reappears to drop a full verse on “Sweet Honey Buckiin’.” “It don’t matter what nobody says / Country boy ‘til the day that I’m dead,” he raps. “LIFE NOT EVEN REAL RN!!! Y’ALL CAN’T TELL ME NUN!!!!” he tweeted after Cowboy Carter’s release. Shaboozey recently announced his own new album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, out May 31.
Willie Jones
Another country genre-bender, Willie Jones duets with Beyoncé on the gospel-inflected ballad “Just for Fun.” He started his career on X-Factor in 2012, and released his latest album Something to Dance To in 2023. “Is it country, R&B, or soul / Hip-hop or funk or even rock and roll? / Don’t bother answerin’ or care to choose,” he sings on his 2021 song “Country Soul.”
Miley Cyrus
Another artist who’s toed the line between pop and country — she is Dolly P’s goddaughter, after all — Miley Cyrus joins Beyoncé on the acoustic ballad “II Most Wanted.” It’s a reunion over 15 years in the making after the two joined forces with the biggest women in music on the song “Just Stand Up!” for the Stand Up to Cancer telethon. “I’ve loved Beyoncé since long before I had the opportunity to meet & work with her,” Cyrus wrote on Instagram of the new song. “My admiration runs so much deeper now that I’ve created alongside of her.”
Post Malone
After traversing from hip-hop to pop, Post Malone is now in the middle of a country pivot of his own, after performing at the CMAs and teasing a new song with Morgan Wallen. His feature on “Levii’s Jeans” means he’s the only musician to be on both Cowboy Carter and Taylor Swift’s upcoming Tortured Poets Department (and no, that’s not Swift on “Bodyguard,” despite Swifties’ hopes).
Raye
Raye, who recently broke records at the 2024 Brit Awards with her debut album My 21st Century Blues, revealed that she co-wrote “Riiverdance.” “What an honour it is to being able to contribute my small piece to this beautiful album,” the singer-songwriter from South London wrote on Instagram, “and to THE @beyonce who continues to inspire all of us.”
What’s on the jukebox?
“For What It’s Worth,” Buffalo Springfield
Beyoncé sets the tone for the album on “Ameriican Requiem” by interpolating this protest-folk anthem from Buffalo Springfield. Stephen Stills wrote “For What It’s Worth” about the Vietnam War, but Beyoncé updates the meaning to something broader: “Can we stand for somethin’?” she sings. “Now is the time to face the wind / Now ain’t the time to pretend / Now is the time to let love in.” “For What It’s Worth” already has a place across Black music history — the Staple Singers covered it, Public Enemy sampled it on “He Got Game,” and Akon pulled the melody for “Belly Dancer (Bananza).”
“Blackbird,” the Beatles
So what’s a Beatles cover doing on Beyoncé’s Americana album? Turns out, Paul McCartney wrote this song inspired by the Little Rock Nine, the first Black students to attend a formerly all-white school in Arkansas. Beyoncé leans into the meaning of the song by singing it with four Black women on the come-up in country music.
Yodel, Mike Johnson
Flipping through the radio stations on “Smoke Hour,” the first thing we hear is a yodel by Mike Johnson. Known as Country Music’s No. 1 Black Yodeler, he’s been singing since the 1950s and started recording in 1981.
“Grinnin’ in Your Face,” Son House
Up next on “Smoke Hour” is a performance of “Grinnin’ in Your Face” by the preacher and blues singer Son House. House was one of the Mississippi Delta Blues’ most influential musicians thanks to his haunting voice and slide guitar playing.
“Down by the Riverside,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe
KNTRY Radio then turns toone of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s signature songs. Known as the Godmother of Rock and Roll, Tharpe came up in gospel music, and began accompanying her songs on electric guitar. She influenced early rock and roll musicians like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry, along with later artists like the Rolling Stones.
“Maybellene,” Chuck Berry
And speaking of Berry, his breakout single “Maybellene” arrives next on “Smoke Hour.” Based on the fiddle song “Ida Red,”it’s regarded as one of the first rock and roll tracks to fuse the electric blues with country music.
“Don’t Let Go,” Roy Hamilton
Last up on “Smoke Hour” is a song from hitmaker Roy Hamilton, whose style bridged classic pop and R&B in the 1950s. “Don’t Let Go” was one of his eight top-ten hits on Billboard’s R&B chart, and even hit No. 13 on the pop chart, despite the era’s musical segregation.
“Jolene,” Dolly Parton
Beyoncé updates Dolly P’s signature revenge song — the original “Sorry” with more modern lyrics. “You don’t want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else,” she sings.
“Caro Mio Ben,” Tommaso Giordani
Beyoncé’s furthest throwback is this 18th century opera aria, which she sings a lick of in “Daughter.” It’s not Beyoncé’s first foray into classical singing, after she drew inspiration from “Ave Maria” for a song of the same name on I Am… Sasha Fierce.
“Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac
Beyoncé’s friends the Chicks were the first to hear something country in Fleetwood Mac’s ballad when they covered it on their 2002 album Home. Now, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus seem to interpolate the chord progression on “II Most Wanted.”
“These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” Nancy Sinatra
The backing of “Ya Ya” interpolates Nancy Sinatra’s classic scorned anthem “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” Sinatra’s original isn’t quite a country song, but it holds a major place in country music history, having been covered by stars from Loretta Lynn to Billy Ray Cyrus.
“Good Vibrations,” Beach Boys
If that wasn’t enough, Beyoncé keeps the classic vibes going on “Ya Ya” by folding in the chorus of the Beach Boys’ 1966 hit.
“Oh Louisiana,” Chuck Berry
Coming down from the high of “Ya Ya,” we hear a pitch-shifted version of “Oh Louisiana” by Chuck Berry. It’s one of the album’s many nods to Beyoncé’s Louisiana heritage on her mother’s side.
“I Fall to Pieces,” Patsy Cline
“Honey,” the first section of “Sweet Honey Buckiin’,” opens with Beyoncé covering Patsy Cline’s love song “I Fall to Pieces.” The first woman inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cline had one of the best voices in country music and was one of the genre’s first crossovers into pop.
Anything else y’all wanna know?
How country is Beyoncé?
On “Ameriican Requiem,” Beyoncé lays out her own country heritage: “Grandbaby of a moonshine man / Gadsden, Alabama / Got folk down in Galveston, rooted in Louisiana.” Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles, was born in Gadsden, while her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, was born in Galveston, Texas, and is of Louisiana Creole descent. (Still a Creole banjee bitch from Louisian’,” Bey sings later on “Jolene.”) No confirmation on that moonshining yet, though. Also on “Requiem,” Beyoncé sings, “Used to say I spoke too country / Then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country enough.” Early in her career with Destiny’s Child, some thought Beyoncé had too much of a Texas accent in interviews. Once she performed “Daddy Lessons” on the CMA stage in 2016, though, some country artists and fans criticized her for crashing the show as a pop artist.
What was the Chitlin’ Circuit?
Beyoncé first teased Cowboy Carter’s tracklist with a colorful poster advertising “Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit.” From the 1930s to the ‘60s, the Chitlin’ Circuit was a group of venues in the Southwhere Black musicians could perform for Black audiences. (It’s named after chitlins, a soul food dish of pig intestines that originates from slave cooking.) The Circuit wasn’t just for country music, either — artists from jazz to R&B to rock performed at the venues. Beyoncé goes on to reference “Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit” on “Ya Ya.”
What other styles of music are on Cowboy Carter?
As Beyoncé said, the palette of Cowboy Carter extends far past country music — into classic rock, hip-hop, and opera. She also explores country music’s connections to other genres, like gospel on “16 Carriages” and the blues on “Just for Fun.” In a nod to Creole zydeco music, there’s accordion and washboard on the album, and Beyoncé namedrops zydeco on “Sweet Honey Buckiin’.” “Flamenco” nods to country’s roots in Spanish flamenco music, and, similarly, “Riverdance” draws a line between country and Irish folk music.
Did the album have other country influences?
According to a press release, Beyoncé was heavily inspired by western films while making Cowboy Carter. She paired certain films with certain tracks, and would even play some in the studio while recording. On her watch list: Five Fingers For Marseilles, Urban Cowboy, The Hateful Eight, Space Cowboys, The Harder They Fall and Killers of the Flower Moon. Fittingly, she name-checks western star John Wayne on one of the album’s most cinematic cuts, “Bodyguard.” Beyoncé also reportedly was inspired by the percussion on the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and referenced Thelma & Louise in the album art.
What country tropes is Beyoncé playing with?
With the line-dance-ready “Texas Hold’ Em,” Beyoncé joins a rich country tradition of singing about her home state — next to songs like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s “Luckenbach, Texas,” Glen Campbell’s “Galveston,” and of course, George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas.” “16 Carriages” and “Bodyguard” are classic road songs, while “II Most Wanted” and “Tyrant” draw from outlaw imagery. “Levii’s Jeans” is Beyoncé’s spin on the trope about country songs always mentioning denim: “Boy, I’ll let you be my Levi’s jeans / So you can hug that ass all day long.” Guns and whiskey abound on the album too. And “Sweet Honey Buckiin’” is Beyoncé’s cowboy anthem — along with a shoutout to Chardonneigh, Act II’s new equestrian star.
By Justin Curto , 2024-03-29 23:15:11
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