(New York) Critical praise is raining down on Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carterwith rich country influences in the form of a nod to the Texan roots of the global star, after its release on Friday.
Second act of the “Renaissance” musical trilogy, the 27-track album pays a powerful tribute to black country culture, with a strong emphasis on dance, soul and hip-hop.
“No one will think for a moment that this sprawling ensemble follows a single, straight path or that it is boring, even for a single moment,” writes Variety.
“It’s a bit as if Beyoncé took up some of the phases and evolutions that country has experienced, by redefining its boundaries – as music has always done,” adds the American specialist magazine.
Although it is still too early to say that Cowboy Carter will explode to the top of the American music charts, its commercial success is in little doubt.
His ode to dance, Renaissancehad already climbed to first place on the Billboard chart upon its release in 2022.
Dusting off the genre
With this new album, the 42-year-old singer born in Houston, Texas, dusts off the image of country music reserved for white and male artists.
Because Beyoncé seems to take great pleasure in shaking up traditions. She thus plays the hip-hop and house cards on the title Sweet Honey Buckiin’recalling the first act of Renaissancealso a snub to purists, celebrating the African-American influence in electro.
Throughout the album, with songs that sound like celebration, freedom, letting go, the artist addresses motherhood, sex, love.
“It’s not just about what Beyoncé can do for country music, it’s about what her conception of country can do for her, expanding her musical empire and even her knowledge of herself , already well developed”, analyzes Variety.
“The criticism that came my way when I first got into (country music) forced me to push myself beyond my own limits,” she wrote recently on Instagram. This new album “is the result of the challenges I set for myself and the time I took to twist and mix genres for this work”.
All with a cocktail of young stars like Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Tanner Adell – but also icons of the old guard.
It thus takes up, among other things, the classic Jolene of absolute country star Dolly Parton and Blackbirdthe Beatles’ song about nine black teenagers who became icons of the civil rights movement by joining a high school reserved for white students in the southern United States.
Country giant Willie Nelson also makes an appearance.
Beyoncé, aka “Queen B”, known worldwide for songs like Crazy in Love Or Beautiful Liarmixes genres and history, like its title Ya Yaa mixture of soul and psychedelic and frenzied dance which manages to cover both These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ by Nancy Sinatra and the Beach Boys.
A tour de force. “With this endlessly entertaining project, she becomes a warrior for female and black pride and the beloved heart of radio,” writes Variety.
reference: www.lapresse.ca