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Beyond the Rodeo: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Unveils a New Frontier in Music

  • March 29, 2024
  • 3 min read
  • 1225 Views
Beyond the Rodeo: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Unveils a New Frontier in Music

Beyonce, cowboy carter, country, country music, audiofuzz, audio fuzz, beatles

Rating 8/10 – GREAT Album

Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, marks a significant evolution in her illustrious career, blending a rich tapestry of musical genres with country music at its core. Over five years in the making, Beyoncé embarked on the project in 2019, finding creative fervor during the COVID-19 pandemic. This album, which is a part of a trilogy aimed at exploring the Black roots of various musical genres, follows Renaissance (2022), a celebration of house and disco music.

One of Beyoncé’s inspirations for Cowboy Carter comes from the history of Black cowboys, an aspect of Western history and culture she felt was overlooked and deserved to be highlighted. This theme resonates with her personal experiences growing up in Houston and attending the Houston rodeo, reflecting a desire to reclaim and celebrate the place of Black performers in the narrative of the American West.

Musically, Cowboy Carter is a country album that intricately weaves in elements of blues, soul, rock, R&B, zydeco, folk, bluegrass, opera, go-go, flamenco, and fado, showcasing Beyoncé’s ability to blend genres seamlessly. The album also features a unique concept where it’s presented as a broadcast from a fictional Texas radio station, with country legends like Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson acting as radio DJs. This innovative approach is complemented by collaborations with a range of artists, including rising country musicians and established stars like Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers, and Jon Batiste.

One of the album’s standout moments includes a cover of The Beatles “Blackbird” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” a song Parton herself expressed a desire to hear Beyoncé perform. The inclusion of this cover, alongside original tracks that pay homage to the likes of Linda Martell, signifies Beyoncé’s respect and acknowledgment of country music’s heritage and its diverse influences.

In terms of promotion, the album was teased during Super Bowl LVIII in a commercial that played with the idea of breaking the internet with increasingly extravagant stunts, culminating in the announcement of new music. This was followed by a visually striking teaser video directed by Nadia Lee Cohen, which paid homage to Paris, Texas and featured Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.”

Beyoncé has described Cowboy Carter as not just a country album but a “Beyoncé album,” underscoring her intent to challenge genre limitations and create a body of work that transcends traditional musical boundaries. This ambition is reflected in the album’s cyclical structure, echoing the endless loop of storytelling found in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, and in Beyoncé’s dedication to using her music to unite people and amplify important voices in musical history​. Check out “Blackbird” below:

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About Author

Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan is an accomplished promoter, event planner, producer, activist, counselor, poet and blogger. Within the course of two and a half years Chris Ryan has worked with some of NYC's most established promoters/event planners, been named 2007′s GaySocialite of the year, granted a promoter of the year award from NYC's most famous gay establishment, Splash. He's worked in some of NYC's top venues including; Avalon, Capitale, Cipriani, Cielo, Pacha, Element, Le Poisson Rouge, XL, G Lounge, Plumm, Hilton Hotel, Indigo Hotel, Spirit, Myst/Quo, Splash, The Ritz, Vlada, Roseland Ballroom, Heaven, etc. In 2008, Chris Ryan has begun to unveil some of the most innovative & unique parties New York City has ever seen. The Fusion events "fuse" together all disciplines of art into an event that remains diverse yet cohesive at the same time. ChrisRyanNYC.com won best gay promotions website from NYC Event Patrons in 2008 & he was granted an award from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Gov. Patterson & Michelle Clunie (QAF) saluting him for his hard work in nightlife. Chris Ryan has also begun working with many renown companies, including; doctors, lawyers, physicians, modeling agencies & more. Chris Ryan has been responsible for wide-scale promotions for all these companies & generating tremendous business. Chris Ryan has even started to become National with events taking place in LA & Miami this year. In May of 2009 Chris Ryan received the very prestigious honor of being named a "40 Under 40″ Gays in America by the Advocate Magazine. He also created three successful parties that generated over 1,500 patrons each. In January of 2010 Chris Ryan was featured as one of the top promoters to look out for in Noize Magazine Chris Ryan joined forces with legendary promoter/event producer, Lee Chappell and created one of the most talked about events of all 2010, Desire @ Capitale. Chris Ryan and Lee featured one of the most outstanding artists NYC has ever seen, "Oh Land." Her performance coupled with an exquisite and unforgettable set design added to this extravagant event that held over 1,000 patrons in one of NYC's most successful PRIDE events! Chris Ryan then joined forces with legendary Pacha promoter, Rob Fernandez in addition to Jake Resnicow and Tommy Marinelli to bring one of the largest and most successful parties worldwide to NYC, MATINEE. The event on Governor's Island saw over 2,000+ attendees and one of the most ambitious productions ever. In 2011 Chris Ryan started Emerge Music Promotions with business partner Darren Melchiorre. Emerge Music promotions began signing artists with plans to develop and market the artists to the community at large. Emerge Music promotions has big events planned for 2012 and 2013. Chris Ryan debuted the IMAGE events which took place on top of two of NYC's most beautiful rooftop venues, Rare View and Indigo Hotel. The events were blogged everywhere and featured the fashion designs of several clothing designers, artists and photographers. Chris Ryan felt that fashion and art should be displayed at every event and attracted the likes of Malan Breton, Calvin Klein and even Katy Perry. Chris Ryan began an extremely successful event which incorporated the concept of a house party into a nightclub atmosphere. The event Twist'D at G Lounge has been one of the most talked about events in NYC and allows it's audience to play nearly-naked Twister, beer pong, flip cup & more with other attendees. Chris Ryan was granted an excellence in volunteering award from AVP (Anti-Violence Project) for all his efforts in supporting the organization. 2013 has a very promising landscape on the horizon and Chris Ryan is complacent in saying "you haven't seen anything yet!"

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