Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ proves that we’re all living in Bey country: review

Beyoncé is making history, landing at the top of the music charts after launching Cowboy Carter, her first country music album.

“Texas Hold ’Em” singer made a last-minute pitch to country upstart Willie Jones to appear on her new “Cowboy Carter” opus — with the album deadline fast approaching to make her March 29 release date — it was either go big or stay home.“It was literally in the fourth quarter,” Jones, 29, told The Post of recording his “Just for Fun” duet with Beyoncé in the final stages of “Cowboy Carter.” “It was literally … end of February, February 20-something.”Jones got the call that would change his life from Alex Vickery, who produced his vocals on “Just for Fun” — which, despite its title, is a decidedly moody meditation.“She’s like, ‘Are you sitting down?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And she’s like, ‘You know Beyoncé is working on a country album … [and] she loves your voice.’ I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ She was like, ‘Can you come out here tomorrow?’ I was like, ‘Send the car.’ ”And now the Shreveport, Louisiana native is galloping into history as one of the Black country artists spotlighted by Beyoncé Knowles Carter on “Cowboy Carter” — the undisputed event record of 2024 — which just scored the biggest sales week of the year in its chart-topping debut on the Billboard 200. Released to rave reviews (including mine), the LP also made Queen B the first Black woman to reign over the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, while simultaneously holding the top three spots on the Hot Country Songs chart led by her No.

Azealia Banks has responded to Lily Allen‘s recent criticism of Beyoncé‘s new album ‘Cowboy Carter‘, accusing the singer of past racist comments while telling her to “sit this one out”.Allen made headlines last week after she described Beyoncé’s reimagined cover of Dolly Parton‘s ‘Jolene’ on the album as “weird”.Speaking on her Miss Me? podcast, she said: “It’s very weird, that you’d cover the most successful songs in that genre. It’s quite an interesting to do, when you’re trying to, like, tackle a genre and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover.“I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her.

Beyoncé has become the first Black woman to score a Number One country album with ‘Cowboy Carter’ in the US charts.The music icon’s new country-inspired album has topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums, making history in the process as the first Black woman ever to do so, as revealed yesterday (April 7).The new record also debuted at Number One, her eighth album to top the Billboard 200 charts.Billboard revealed that, at 407,000 units, ‘Cowboy Carter’ claimed the biggest week of 2024 so far and the largest since Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ reached 1.653 million units on the November 11, 2023 list back in October.‘Cowboy Carter’ also scored other achievements including Beyoncé’s biggest week by units since ‘Lemonade’ debuted at Number One with 653,000 units in 2016.The achievement follows a similar feat back in February when Beyoncé became the first Black woman to reach Number One on the US country chart with her new single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’.She also became the second solo female act – with no accompanying featured artists – to debut at Number One, with Swift achieving this in 2021 with her re-recorded versions of ‘Love Story’ and ‘All Too Well’.Additionally, Beyoncé was announced as the first woman to top both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hip Songs charts since these run-downs began in 1958.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer As expected, Beyoncé has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with “Cowboy Carter,” marking the biggest sales for an album so far in 2024.

Beyoncé and Paul McCartney.The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer covers the 1968 Beatles beauty “Blackbird” — written by Macca, although credited to both McCartney and John Lennon — on her countrified new album “Cowboy Carter” that was released last Friday to rave reviews (including mine) and record-shattering streams.Bey’s honey- and harmony-coated rendition of “The White Album” classic — featuring African-American female country singers Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts making like Destiny’s Southern Child — is a revelation that repurposes the song from a black female perspective.And Sir Paul has given Beyonce’s “Blackbird” — which is styled as “Blackbiird” on “Cowboy Carter” — the most royal of blessings.“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.

And is definitely doing the latter right now. At an event for Colcci Jeans at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, the former Victoria's Secret Angel tapped into her inner country music diva, in a double-denim jumpsuit-and-bra combo.The model's blue denim jumpsuit was covered in oversized studs (very Southern glam), and left unbuttoned at the top to reveal the matching denim bra underneath. She accessorized with a cocktail ring, statement earrings, beachy waves, and a wide grin as she stood behind the DJ booth.Seeing as Cowboy Carter literally is the culture right now, one can't help but notice that Bündchen's layered jean ensemble is reminiscent of ahead of her album’s release.

made a controversial speech at the 2024 Grammys — while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award with eldest daughter Blue Ivy, 12, by daddy’s side — in which he called out the Recording Academy for wife Beyoncé’s failure to win the most prestigious of prizes: Album of the Year.This, despite Mrs.

new album “Cowboy Carter” — and one of them is none other than music legend Stevie Wonder.After accepting the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles Monday night, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer gushed over the 25-time Grammy winner who handed her the gong.“Now, Beyoncé is once again changing music and culture,” Wonder said of her latest record. “And when she’s not changing music, she’s changing the world, fighting the good fight.”As the mom of three accepted the award, she thanked the “I Wish” hitmaker for “making a way for all of us.”“And thank you for playing the harmonica on ‘Jolene,’” she added.“Tonight, you called me an innovator and for that, I’m very grateful,” the 32-time Grammy winner said.

Beyoncé‘s new album has the vice presidential stamp of approval!

RAYE has revealed that she co-wrote one of Beyoncé‘s songs on ‘Cowboy Carter’.The six times BRIT Awards winner has previously penned songs for Queen Bey most notably 2019’s ‘Bigger’ along with tracks for Mabel and Charli XCX,Now, she has taken to Instagram to celebrate the release of the new record, which dropped today, and share her “honour” in contributing to the LP.Sharing a clip of herself singing along to the track, which you can listen to below, RAYE wrote: “happy COWBOY CARTER day. What an honour it is to being able to contribute my small piece to this beautiful album, and to THE @beyonce who continues to inspire all of us.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music In the weeks since Beyonce announced her “Cowboy Carter” album, there’s been an enormous amount of commentary over the singer’s move into country music, and the long-overlooked contributions of Black artists to the genre since its very beginning. There’s also been more-humorous comments about the album’s title — which comes from Beyonce’s married surname and her husband, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter — and the long legacy left by the Carter Family, whose music is widely viewed as the single biggest influence on the country genre.

KT Tunstall has responded to Azealia Banks‘ comments singling her out on Beyoncé’s new album ‘Cowboy Carter’.As part of the rapper’s latest slate of criticisms of Queen Bey’s new musical direction, which she has previously described as “white women cosplay”, while also stating that she feels the singer is “setting herself up to be ridiculed”, Banks said she “personally would have jumped out of my seat for a KT Tunstall appearance” on the record.Responding to the comment by sharing NME‘s article, Tunstall has since replied on social media and jokingly wrote: “To be fair, I’d have 100% got off the couch.”‘Cowboy Carter’ was released today (March 29) and serves as Beyoncé’s eighth studio album as well as the second in an expected trilogy that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.To be fair, I’d have 100% got off the couch https://t.co/RtqSkiJVxX— KT Tunstall (@KTTunstall) March 29, 2024Banks also appeared to respond to the new version of ‘Jolene’ on the album, which many have speculated features Beyoncé making reference to Jay-Z cheating on her.“Plus who is this imaginary adversary sis thinks still wants to hump on J in 2024?,” Banks wrote. “She’s gotta find new content.

Cowboy Carter,” is a protest against the Nashville establishment after previously being treated poorly.“This is her life, this has been her life: You tell Bey she can’t do something, she does it,” a source close to the singer told The Post. “If you don’t invite her to the party; she will create a bigger party and shut yours down.

released her latest album. The second in what she has promised to be a trio of albums following 2022's Renaissance, Cowboy Carter, the 27 tracks are a dizzying, genre-bending and defining, eclectic work that draws from history, country, and rock for its unique sound.To mark this cultural moment, members of the Glamour staff gathered together on the day of the album's release to listen to it together for the first time, and share our thoughts as we went along.

famous mom’s album “Act II: Cowboy Carter.”The country music-inspired record dropped on Friday, with Rumi appearing on the single “Protector.”“Mom, can I hear the lullaby, please?” Rumi croons on the track as the Grammy winner, 42, then sings: “And I will lead you down that road if you lose your way/ Born to be a protector, mm-hmm/ Even though I know someday you’re gonna shine on your own/ I will be your projector, mmm, mm-hmm.”“Even though I know some day you’re gonna shine on your own/ I will be your projector, yeah, yeah/ And even though I know some day you’re gonna shine on your own/ I will be your protector, born to be a protector,” Beyoncé goes on.Rumi — who is the twin sister of brother Sir Carter — is not the only singer in the family. Alongside parents Beyoncé and Jay-Z, older sister Blue Ivy, 12, also has some pipes on her.

Thania Garcia Beyoncé’s new album “Cowboy Carter” arrives after what the Texas-born singer says was a five-year journey she embarked on after feeling rejected by the country music world. On her eighth solo LP — a “Beyoncé album” not a country album, she insists — the artist freely pushes the boundaries of country music and utilizes the genre’s signature touchstones to make a sonic return to the house music of Act I, or 2022’s “Renaissance,” on tracks like “Riverdance” and “II Hands II Heaven.” Where “Renaissance” was an homage to queer club culture icons, “Cowboy Carter” features endorsements from Nashville’s best in the form of spoken interludes from icons like Willie Nelson, Linda Martell and Dolly Parton.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Beyoncé once again brought the internet to a standstill with the release of her eighth studio album “Cowboy Carter” last night, but she explains that she initially had different plans for the 27-track project. The singer revealed that she intended for “Cowboy Carter” to come before “Renaissance” — the first in a trilogy of albums that arrived in 2022 — but the pandemic led her to change her plans.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic What does “going country” mean to Beyoncé — musically speaking? That’s a mystery that really had to wait until this week to be solved. We’d already picked up a good idea of what country means to her culturally, in her few public statements in advance of “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” amplified in the one trillion thinkpieces published during the last two months, many of which really did help spur a vital conversation about Black exclusion and reclamation in one of America’s most important indigenous artforms.

Azealia Banks has claimed that she would have “jumped out of my seat” if there had been a KT Tunstall feature on Beyoncé’s new album ‘Cowboy Carter’.The comment comes as part of Banks’ latest slate of criticisms of Queen Bey’s new musical direction, which she has previously described as “white women cosplay”, while also stating that she feels the singer is “setting herself up to be ridiculed”.‘Cowboy Carter’ was released today (March 29) and serves as Beyoncé’s eighth studio album as well as the second in an expected trilogy that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.But in an Instagram Stories post, Banks shared her thoughts as she listened to the album, writing: “Def should have had Taylor Swift & Kacey Musgraves on there … it’s what the ppl wanted.”i cannot get over azealia banks even knowing who kt tunstall is pic.twitter.com/QjZXEO3ebZ—