Beyoncé explores Black identity, musical landscapes with ‘COWBOY CARTER’

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From a Louis Vuitton western-inspired Grammy’s ensemble to the release of singles “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES” during this year’s Super Bowl, Beyoncé incorporates components of the country-western genre in her recent album while making it her own.

On March 29, she dropped her Act II album “COWBOY CARTER.” The album follows 2022’s Act I “RENAISSANCE” and 2016’s “Lemonade,” continuing a legacy of projects that focus on the ever-changing nature of art and culture.

The album’s 27-song tracklist boasts a long list of artists and collaborators. Beyoncé welcomes her daughter, Rumi, on the album’s fourth song “PROTECTOR,” and pays homage to country legends like Linda Martell, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.

In an Instagram post, Beyoncé said the process of creating the recent album started over five years ago after an experience in which she did not feel “welcomed.” “COWBOY CARTER” inspires her to delve deeper into the breadth of country music, a journey that has evolved into one of unity and education.

“Act II is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work,” she said in her Instagram post.

On the album’s cover, Beyoncé prominently sits atop a galloping horse, “Chardonneigh.” She takes the reins in her right hand while her left holds the rod of the United States flag, which purposefully focuses on the 13 stripes representing the 13 colonies. Attempting to uncover the image’s meaning has bewildered some individuals, who often settle on nationalism as its explanation. Others question why she displays a symbol that carries significant weight for the country’s oppressed groups, given her advocacy for them.

We are reminded, however, that nothing Beyoncé does is without intention, and perhaps the cover and content of “COWBOY CARTER” is an attempt to explore the dichotomy between Blackness and Americanness, while proudly redefining both of these identities.

Her intentions analyze the prominence of Black people in the history of cowboys and rodeos, a culture deeply embedded in the framework of her home state of Texas. A press release shares that the term “cowboy” was initially used pejoratively to refer to former slaves as “boys,” who were skilled and endured the most overwhelming task of tending for livestock.

Beyoncé offers a platform for discourse that centers a reality of egregious social injustice, while uplifting the rich history of those like Bill Pickett and the Prairie View Trail Riders, who paved the way for today’s Black cowgirls and organizations like Oklahoma Cowboys. With her album, she finds solace in a complete immersion into her Black Texan identity, while using it as a tool for critique.

“COWBOY CARTER” begins with a somber ballad, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM.” It samples Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” originally composed to honor Russia’s defense against French invasion, but has become a patriotic tune often played during July 4 celebrations in the United States.

“This house was built with blood and bones/And it crumbled, yes, it crumbled,” Beyoncé sings, connecting the theme in the album’s final track, “AMEN.”

In other words, the United States was built upon the erasure, the “blood,” of Indigenous peoples and by the exploitation, the “bones,” of Black people. Both “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” and “AMEN” explicate a reckoning of our country’s past and signal a consideration of the death of a cruel America.

“Hello, my old friend/You change your name but not the ways you play pretend,” Beyoncé sings.

In this context, she sings to the institution of Jim Crow, a term no longer used in today’s daily language but with effects still visible in social and political contexts. In “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” she questions whether society can stand together for something stronger than evil, articulating the need for unity and love.

On the album’s second track, she shines a light on today’s Black country artists with “BLACKBIIRD,” a cover of the Beatles’ 1968 hit “Blackbird.” Four Black Country Music Television’s “Next Women of Country” joined her on the song – Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts.

Their rendition is especially remarkable because of the original’s backstory. In an interview with GQ, Paul McCartney said he wrote the song to inspire hope after learning of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, specifically in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“In England, a ‘bird’ is a girl. So I was thinking a Black girl going through this, now’s your time to arise, set yourself free,” McCartney said.

Like “RENAISSANCE,” each song on “COWBOY CARTER” seamlessly blends, creating the feeling of tuning a radio while coasting down never-ending Texas highways. Willie Nelson acts as a host of the fictional radio show, KNTRY on “SMOKE HOUR ★ WILLIE NELSON” interlude, a return to his time as the DJ of Pleasanton, Texas’s KBOP.

As if finding the signal, the track plays snippets by blues artist Son House, rock and roll guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry and singer Roy Hamilton, before settling on Nelson’s voiceover.

“BODYGUARD” exemplifies one of Beyoncé’s favorite ways of creating music – having no rules. With guitars, percussion instruments and passionate vocals, she creates an upbeat pop-country love song. The track feels like a runway romance story – it’s flirtatious, edgy and one of the album’s standouts.

The feelings don’t stop there. The queen of country music, Dolly Parton, graces the tracklist’s second transition cameo “DOLLY P.” The name “Jolene” repeatedly echoes then fades away to Parton’s sweet, southern voice.

The same echoes kick-off Beyoncé’s version of Parton’s 1973 country hit “Jolene,” a song about rivaling romances. Parton begs auburn-haired Jolene not to take her man, while Beyoncé’s ready to fight the “hussy.”

“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/I’m warning you, don’t come for my man,” Beyoncé sings, letting Jolene know exactly who she’s messing with. “The games you play are nothing new/So you don’t want no heat with me, Jolene.”

The album continues with its 12th track “SPAGHETTII,” featuring country music pioneer Linda Martell and hip-hop country artist Shaboozey. Martell is the first Black female solo artist to perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.

“YA YA” is then introduced with angelic, girlish vocals. Beyoncé, with Tina Turner’s ferocity, makes listeners want to grab a tambourine and stomp their feet. She sings of her roots in the United States, keeping the faith and the hope of a better future.

“My family lived and died in America/Good ‘ol USA/Whole lotta red in that white and blue/History can’t be erased,” she sings.

Beyoncé said, “All the sounds were so organic and human, everyday things like the wind, snaps and even the sound of birds and chickens, the sounds of nature,” a truth clarified on the album’s 23rd track “RIIVERDANCE.”

She harmonizes over a glorified banjo and even uses her nails as a subtle percussion instrument, a nod to Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle who, in 1987, also used their nails to sing “Shortenin’ Bread.”

With “COWBOY CARTER,” Beyoncé continues to spotlight, explore and challenge society’s view about culture and identity through lyricism and beats. It’s symbolism that unifies her messages, making it not only one of the best Beyoncé albums but also a great American story.