In defense of Cowboy Carter

The choice of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” as Best Country Album and Album of the Year sparked a lot of drama amongst music enthusiasts.
Many people argue that “Cowboy Carter” is not a real country album, but that argument is nullified if we consider how the country genre has shifted over the years. Country music began as an “outlaw,” a disdain for the government not properly representing the people, and a focus on storytelling. In recent years, country music has shifted to promoting American culture and rejecting city life, focusing less on storytelling and more on making a catchy song.
Cowboy Carter combines classic country music with a modern focus on American culture. One of the several interludes in the album, “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW,” has the iconic black country singer Linda Martell talk about the restrictions that genres put onto music, a topic that she is unfortunately very familiar with. Songs like “YA YA” combined the storytelling features of classical country music with the production reflecting modern country, making a unique listening experience.
Many people have heard the lead single “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” which unfortunately shapes their opinion on the entire album. Although a catchy song, this alone does not do Cowboy Carter justice. The songs go through her struggles as a young girl, how the skills she developed in her teenage years led her to be a great mother and the work she put into her artwork to create a name for herself.
The album is introduced by the song “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” which reflects Beyoncé’s struggle with not being seen as a black woman in music. She has been nominated for Album of the Year five separate times, and despite her impressive 32 Grammy wins before this year, she had never won the Album of the Year.
As a whole, Cowboy Carter focuses on highlighting the hard work black people have put into America to make the country we know today, which has largely gone unnoticed. Country, a genre famous for its love for American Culture, had historically never reflected the contributions black people have made to America.
Listening to albums in full is, unfortunately, becoming a lost art, and it is crucial to listen to the whole album before making a judgment. When put into context, the impact of songs can heighten the storytelling and overall experience. Album of the Year being awarded to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is no mistake, and the public’s disapproval is not justified.