Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’: A Deep Dive Into the Featured Artists and Samples — From Shaboozey to ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin” and More
variety.comSteven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer “They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this,” sings Beyoncé on “Ameriican Requiem,” the harmony-laden opener on her eighth album “Cowboy Carter.” Anyone keyed into the promotional cycle leading up to its release knows this well.
A few weeks back, Beyoncé revealed that she came up with the concept for the album, the second in her three-act project that kicked off with 2022’s “Renaissance,” after experiencing an incident where she did not feel “welcomed.” She was likely referring to a performance she gave at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards alongside the Dixie Chicks (as they were then known), which was met with blowback on social media for giving her the spotlight at a country event.
But Beyoncé used the experience as inspiration for “Carter,” which she began working on five years ago. Now, after releasing the singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” in early February, she’s finally unveiled the sprawling 27-track project, a country — or in her words, a Beyoncé — album that toys with the conventions of what country can be and infusing it with tropes and signifiers from other genres.
At a hearty 80 minutes, “Carter” is a rebuttal to anyone who doubted that Beyoncé belonged in country music; instead, it retrofits country to Beyoncé, bending and stretching what listeners would expect in a contemporary country album, especially from Beyoncé.
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