Cowboy Carter, the eighth studio album by singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on Mar. 29, 2024. It is the second album in the planned Renaissance trilogy and shows both the powerful dance-pop fusions Beyoncé has become known for while demonstrating not only her expertise in Country but in a near-perfect blend of genres and vocal styles. Since its debut, Cowboy Carter has remained at the number-one spot on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

The album opens with the instantly resonant American Requiem. Beyoncé immediately establishes her vocal dominance with a purely vocal opening, both welcoming old fans and inviting new ones as she sings about change and the circular nature of progress. As the song continues, it leans deep into a more traditional country sound, Beyoncé speaking indirectly about the country world’s rejection of her after a surprise 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards. The song closes with an adjusted version of the beginning, a sparse piano complimenting gospel vocals as she speaks on the ‘pretty house that we never settled in’, most likely referring to the fraudulent nature of the American dream and image. It is important to note that the title may be a reference to the 1993 choral piece by Dr. James DeMars, An American Requiem, which was composed after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Beyoncé makes several indirect references to the BLM movement and conversation throughout the album, so the connection could be a way to tie the album to the movement much in the same way the choral piece is tied to the riots. 

The album then continues into Blackbird, a cover of a Beatles song which takes the civil rights subtext of the original work and makes its connection to the Black experience explicit. As well, Beyoncé includes black country artists Tanner Adell, Brittany Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts, each one known for their vocal performances. The song begins the album proper, as it contains the soft fade in and beep motif that marks both the beginning and end of the album. 16 Carriages quickly follows up with a slow but strong ballad, with a delightful blend of guitars, organ, and trumpet. A heavy drum beat supports the song’s sparser moments, with Beyonce calling back to her song Bigger and the idea of leaving a legacy for her children to continue. This flows nicely into Protector, a gentle lullaby-like song that is dedicated to Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi. The song, composed of nothing more than vocals and guitar, conveys both the intense fear and quiet worry every parent feels as their children begin to come into their own.

MY ROSE, also titled Mr. Sir on physical releases, is the first sign of the album’s large and diverse scope. Being only around a minute in length and composed of only vocals, Beyonce dedicates a beautiful harmonic melody to a beloved family member, most likely her son Sir. This change however indicates that the album is not satisfied by focusing solely on the country genre. 

Smoke Hour – Willie Nelson is an interlude for the song Texas Hold-Em, and while Hold-Em is a deeply catchy single with an addictive banjo and drum combo, the song is ultimately outshined by the album surrounding it. Smoke Hour, while being merely an interlude, contains samples of songs by Son House, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Chuck Berry, and Roy Hamilton, further cementing the album’s roots in the history of Black folk and country music. Nelson’s inclusion, much like Dolly Parton’s later on, also establishes a line to some of the most iconic country artists of all time, cementing her work as part of that same collective. Dolly P, Smoke Hour II, The Linda Martell Show, and Oh Louisiana all function not only to establish the prestige at which Beyonce is working but to tie her to the history, especially the black history, of country music. 

Bodyguard and Jolene follow in Hold-Em’s footsteps, being primarily catchy and fun songs, with Jolene in particular allowing Beyonce to play more freely with covers than Blackbird. Jolene’s immediate follow-up, Daughter, is one of more experimental pieces in the album. While the majority of the song is heavy vocal work, invoking ideas of southern gothic and deep seated feuds, it is the interjection of Caro Mio Ben that elevates the song. The popular Italian aria is not only another showcase of Beyoncé’s immense vocal talent, but of the depth of inspiration for her work, as well as her ability to blend genres seamlessly. This blending then explodes onto Spaghetti, the intro from Linda Martell denying the concept that genres are so easily defined or confined. Beyonce and guest contributor Shaboozey proceed to layer rap, motifs reminiscent of a tense shoot-out and the operatic elements of Daughter to create a track that is simultaneously as much country as it is rap. 

Alligator Tears returns to the slower, guitar-heavy sound of Protector and 16 Carriages. Tears separate itself by implementing a bouncier, more sarcastic tone. Beyonce is speaking of a lover for whom she gives everything and yet receives almost nothing back. While Just for Fun breaks this trend to deliver a slow and instrumentally rich composition of a stereotypical drifter narrative, II Most Wanted and Levii’s Jeans use lighter, more modern country beats along with features by Miley Cyrus and Post Malone to add a few lighter songs to the tracklist. Flamenco uses a chorus of strings, violins, and guitars to compliment Beyoncé’s melancholic transition into the second half of the album. Given the differences in the contents of the second act of Cowboy Carter, it’s likely meant to signal not a change in tone but a change in pace. 

After a lead-in by The Linda Martell Show, YA YA instantly changes gears, featuring a breakneck dance track highlighted by rock and roll and folk-infused guitars and critiques of current issues, “Hard workin’ man ain’t got no money in a bank…He can’t watch the news nowadays.” While YA YA may not fit perfectly genre-wise, it stands among many of her other hits as ridiculously memorable and almost infectiously danceable. Its lead-out, Oh Louisiana, a slight remix of Chuck Berry, helps to break up the light-speed pace of YA YA as well as highlight Beyoncé’s own Creole heritage. Desert Eagle fits in nicely with My Rose, being primarily a vocal work with a wet bass line sweeping underneath to fill any space left by the fullness of the harmonies. 

Riverdance and Tyrant work in much the same way as YA YA, its Irish dance-inspired beat feeling perfectly natural among the rest of the folk inspirations. II Hands II Heaven then immediately takes a very similar sound and doubles down on it, interjecting a deeper, more loving tone to the track. Sweet * Honey * Bucking marks the return of Shaboozey, and functions as three separate sections. The sweet is gentle vocals along with flowing rap verses from Shaboozey. The honey is complete vocal dominance, followed immediately by heavy, quick verses from Beyonce.

Amen acts as a reprise to American Requiem. Both the inner section and derivative of the original closing move to reclaim the America lost and rebuilt.