Cowboy Carter: An American Masterpiece
This is an album for passionate music lovers. No skips, no going straight to your "favorite" song. From beginning to end, it's as layered as an onion, and beautifully crafted and executed.
If you follow me and 30 Pause, you know that my love for Dolly Parton runs deep. I’ve idolized her my whole life. I was singing Jolene at 9 years old not knowing who this woman was and why she’d ever take her man. I even have a segment on the 30 Pause Podcast called Do It Like Dolly. She, in my eyes and so many others, is America’s Queen. I grew up on 90s country music. Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Shania Twain, The Judds, Garth Brooks, The Chicks, George Straight, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, and Tim McGraw kind of 90s country. My first concert ever was country music artist, Chely Wright. I couldn’t wait to sing Single White Female at the top of my lungs as if I lived that experience at 12 years old. I even met her that night, and she was so sweet and kind. #corememory In 2010, Chely came out as a gay woman in country music and explained why she hid her sexuality because country Music & the industry is known for being very Christian and very Conservative. Since then, her music hasn’t really been played nor has she received much, if any, Country Music radio play. In country music, radio is still very vital to the Artist’s success. Chely has now crossed over into the Folk/Americana genres and continues to be a voice for the LGBTQ+ Community.
As years rolled by the Conservative Christians didn’t exactly welcome Beyonce performing with the The Chicks back in 2016 at the CMA Awards. I remember being at a friend’s house and turning that TV volume ALL THE WAY UP when we discovered Bey was going to sing Daddy Lessons, with one of my favorite Country Bands of all time-The Chicks! I screamed, hollered, clapped, and was envious of every body in that audience. It’s still one of my favorite award ceremony performances til this day. Watch the ICONIC performance here for reference Little did we know this was going to be the catalyst of Beyonce making Cowboy Carter Act ii.
Needless to say I’m a Beyonce stan, so when discovering more music was coming after being baptized by the Church of Beyonce with Renaissance Act i, I was beyond thrilled to know it was a country album. Although, according to her, it’s a Beyonce Album. After listening to the album thoroughly from beginning to end (at least 12 times now) I agree, with the rest of the critics who have praised and raved-this album is an American Masterpiece. I went on her website the week the album dropped to buy Merch, because I had to! I wasn’t able to go see Renaissance in concert (probably one of my biggest regrets of 2023, tbh), so when I saw the Box set with the CD, my millennial nostalgia hit max capacity and it was sold immediately! The album art is going to be framed and a part of my apartment decor. She’ll be joining Frida Kahlo & Johnny Cash on my wall, because Icons Only-duh!
The collaborations, the exposure, and what she is doing for Black Cowboy Culture and Country Music as a whole is historic and will be studied for years. I have now became fans of Brittney Spencer, Tanner Addell, The War & Treaty, Reyna Roberts, Willie Jones, Joy Oladokun, and Rissi Palmer, just to name a few. The album is so thoughtfully crafted from the last track Amen having the same Act i space, galatic-esque sounds roaring through the speakers at the very end, down to the song titles with the intentional spelling of the double ii/lower case roman numerals. (Ameriican Requiem, Blackbiird, Spaghettii, Alliigator Tears, Levii’s Jeans, Riiverdance). The details could be discussed for hours if you go down a hole with other Bey Hive Members on X and other social media apps.
I absolutely would love for more visuals and videos, but who knows what’s next for our Queen Bey. She’s as unpredictable and pleasantly surprising as all Art should be and I for one, will be keeping my eyes and ears peeled. I do have my top 10 favorite songs on the album thus far and that could change and most likely will as the months roll by and they are as follows:
Bodyguard
II Most Wanted
Just for Fun
Ya Ya
Jolene
Tyrant
Riiverdance
Ameriican Requiem
16 Carriages
Levii’s Jeans
It’s hard when the whole entire album is just so so soooo good. Bey had nothing to prove and we felt that strongly with Act i, so what she has done here is not only outdo herself and her own innovation, but brought so much love and light to the world through her art like the American Icon that she is.
If you’re apart of the Bey Hive, feel free to message me! Let’s discuss this American Masterpiece and revel in the fact that we’re alive to experience it.
XO,
Heather