COWBOY CARTER
by Beyoncé
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This album has been added to 11 public lists:
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2024 albums
Jake RipleyTop 3: Bodyguard, YA YA, II hands II heaven
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Best, Favorite, & Most Interesting Albums Of 2024
Mark- Genre: Country, Soul, R&B, Folk.
- Influenced by: Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder.
- Similar artists: Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Yola, Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges.
- About this album: Here's the thing: this is a highly ambitious and extremely interesting record. Still, haters gonna hate. One thing that's important to understand about this release is that it's not merely a "homage to country music," it's a CONCEPT ALBUM, with songs featuring as reimagined versions of a modern Western (or Western adjacent) movie, including: Five Fingers For Marseilles (2017), Urban Cowboy (1980), The Hateful Eight (2015), Space Cowboys (2000), The Harder They Fall (2021), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Thelma & Louise (1991), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). And, in addition to the country influences, the album also blends together various styles of music that Beyoncé listened to when growing up in Texas, including zydeco, rock and roll, psychedelic soul, rhythm and blues, funk, gospel, bluegrass, opera, rock, honky-tonk and go-go. Collaborators on the album include Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, Post Malone, Jon Batiste, Rhiannon Giddens, Nile Rodgers, Gary Clark Jr., The-Dream, Pharrell, Raphael Saadiq, Ryan Tedder, Swizz Beatz, and Beyoncé's husband JAY-Z. Taylor Swift is rumoured to appear on "BODYGUARD," but isn't credited. The music is also driven by a wide range of acoustic instruments played by various musicians including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Nile Rodgers, Jon Batiste, and Rhiannon Giddens. What more do you want? Charley Pride wasn't available.
- Metacritic Score: 91 (universal acclaim).
- Grammy Nominations: Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best R&B Album.
- Song To Sample: "Ya Ya," in which Beyonce samples The Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and channels a whole lot of Tina Turner.
- Trivia Bonus: Beyoncé's favorite number is four, which represents many important dates in her life. Her birthday, her husband Jay-Z's birthday, her mother's birthday, and her wedding anniversary all fall on the fourth of the month. She and Jay-Z have the Roman numeral for four, IV, tattooed on their ring fingers.
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Favorite Albums of 2024
ArtemisI remember when it came out and everyone was shook how Cowboy Carter could be a country album. It is and it isn't, and that's okay. It would be bland if she just vomited old country. She did a cutesy thing here that feels like a live show with its ups and downs and we love her for it.
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Current Vinyl Collection
ChaseBeen country. Over the course of these 22 tracks (plus 5 interludes) Beyonce takes us back through the origin of country music, similar to how she does with dance music on Renaissance, in a way that only Beyonce's level of artistry can. Featuring several fantastic features from the likes of Dolly Patron, Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus, Willie Jones, and Post Malone. A seamless listen that twists and turns in a manner that's difficult to stop once it gets started.
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