On March 29th, Beyoncé released her highly anticipated country album, Cowboy Carter. In less than one week, Beyoncé bounced to the top of the Billboard Top Country Album charts. 

With her previous albums focusing on R&B and pop genres, Cowboy Carter marked a shift in Beyoncé’s career. In her 27-track album, her lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,’” made her the first black woman to top the Hot Country song chart.  

Out of 27 songs, 12 featured artists Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton, and Beyoncé’s own daughter Rumi Carter. Beyoncé’s song featuring Miley Cyrus, titled “II Most Wanted,” debuted at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time both Beyoncé and Cyrus have shared the charts. Rumi Carter, six years old, is also a key feature on the song “Protector.” Beyoncé sings that she will always be there for her kids, even when they grow up and have to fend for themselves. 

Beyoncé introduced a new spin on Dolly Parton’s classic song, “Jolene.” This version of the song changes from “ a vulnerable plea to a threatening ‘warning,’” Nadira Goffe, an associate writer of culture at Slate, stated. The release of Beyonce’s “Jolene” sparked controversy from fans due to lyrical changes from the original version. Stereogum, the world’s best music blog, says covering the song is “hacky and obvious.” Tom Breihan, who wrote a Stereogum story on Beyonce’s new album, sarcastically adds that by Beyoncé covering such a classic song, she “might as well cover Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ while she’s at it.”  

Beyoncé’s inspiration behind her country-western album came after being influenced by many modern and classic movies. It was stated by her press that Beyoncé would often have “the films playing on a screen during the recording process.” Due to her influence of Western culture, each of the 27 tracks possesses a new composition from the old classics to more original. 

Following the release of Cowboy Carter, a wave of outrage from diehard country fans arose. Fans believe that Beyoncé is not suited as a country artist and her album does not sound like it fits the genre. In Oklahoma, radio station KYKC refused to play her new music when requested by listeners due to the negative opinions of the album.  “We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC,” the country music radio station replied. 

According to a Forbes story, some critics believe that the dislike of Beyoncé turning to country music is an act of cultural appropriation. Country music, to many, has been a genre considered for ‘white people.’ However, this claim has slowly fallen out as country music is influenced heavily by Black culture. “It is safe to say that country music is considered black music because its creation was extracted from black creators,” Dr. Marcus Collins, contributor to the Forbes’ story, wrote. “Its melodies were lifted from hymnals performed in the Black church.”

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter remains at the top of album charts with more than 130 million streams. With more than 120 thousand sales in the United States and 20 thousand copies sold as a complete package, Cowboy Carter reclaims history, shining the spotlight on the Black Country community.