Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Is Here, and It’s Much More Than Country

Guests on the album include Miley Cyrus on the song “II Most Wanted,” and Post Malone on “Levii’s Jeans.” (The extra I’s underscore that “Cowboy Carter” is officially “Act II” of what Beyoncé has said will be a three-album cycle, which began with “Renaissance” in 2022. That motif repeats throughout the album’s 27-song track list. The Beatles cover — where she is joined by a quartet of young Black female country singers — Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy — is rendered as “Blackbiird.”) Midway through the track “Daughter,” Beyoncé even flexes some opera skills, singing a bit of “Caro Mio Ben,” a popular 18th-century Italian aria. (More on that here.)

In a statement, Beyoncé described the sonic texture of the album, differentiating it from the synthesized process behind most contemporary pop albums (including her own).

“With artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming, I wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones,” she said. “I didn’t want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune. I kept some songs raw and leaned into folk.”

As with “Renaissance,” the audio for “Cowboy Carter” was leaked online shortly before its planned release, with some fans urging others not to listen early.

Back when Beyoncé released her self-titled “visual album” without warning in 2013, establishing the “surprise drop” as an industry trope, it was partly meant to protect the album from leaks, which had become a threat to first-week sales numbers. For these last two albums, Beyoncé has embraced a more conventional marketing plan, announcing her album weeks ahead of time and preparing deluxe physical editions. (There are many for “Cowboy Carter,” including LPs in, yes, red, white and blue vinyl.)

In the end, the leaks meant little to “Renaissance,” which went straight to No. 1. And, regardless of the new album’s fate at country radio — where “Texas Hold ’Em” has so far made it only as high as No. 33 — the commercial potential for “Cowboy Carter” seems vast, given Beyoncé’s recent success.