“Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé

She's made another all-time classic.

Hello! 😊👋

Welcome to a new edition of the Best Music of All Time newsletter!

Today’s music pick is Bey’s feather-ruffling foray into country—and, as of this writing, the album of the year.

Genre: Country, R&B, Hip-Hop

Label: Parkwood Entertainment

Release Date: March 29, 2024

Vibe: 🤠🐝

About halfway through Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s latest LP, there’s a mission statement of sorts spoken by Linda Martell, the first black female artist to, among other things, play the Grande Ole Opry. "Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they? [In] theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.” The track, titled “Spaghetti,” is itself a sly reference to Leone-era cultural appropriation and subversion, topics that Ms. Carter attacks with a fiery relish on this record. It’s a daring yet timely choice, especially since she had to know Cowboy was going to be divisive, to put it mildly. The fact that lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em” has made history on multiple fronts (and that it’s taken this long for country music to have a non-white woman top the charts) is its own victory, but it shouldn’t eclipse the rest of this album. Like on Renaissance, Beyoncé turned anger, rejection, and longing into an all-time classic.

The latter is arguably the emotion that drives the record for much of its 80-minute runtime. A longing for acceptance from a genre and community that’s shunned her in the past. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote on Instagram, referencing her 2016 performance with the Chicks. “act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.” You can hear her pushing those boundaries on opener, “Ameriican Requiem,” where she details how her Southern roots led to some people telling her she “spoke ‘too country’” and, for some people, still “wasn't ‘country enough.’” The segue immediately after into a poignant cover of “Blackbird” is incredibly powerful. Elsewhere, you have a pointed update of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” a lithe seduction number in “Levii’s Jeans,” and a delightful hip-hop hoedown hybrid in “Ya Ya,” featuring an instantly recognizable Nancy Sinatra sample.

I could easily list a half-dozen other tracks as highlights, but that wouldn’t do the listening experience justice. Cowboy Carter solidifies Beyoncé as this era’s most captivating performer (sorry Swifties). When the album ended, my first thought was I’d just heard something historic. That’s the level of jaw-dropping we’re talking about.

👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈