Dear Cowboy Carter, P.S. I Love You

This letter goes out to Cowboy Carter, a sonic stream to my ears that just tickles me on the inside. Every beat, every lyric, every riff—it's as if you were crafted to speak directly to me. Your harmonies are like whispers of a sweet secret, told only to those who truly listen. You are a celebration of sound, a testament to the power of music to move, inspire, and heal.

Although this letter is a silly way to profess my profound love of this album by Beyonce, I also can't stress enough how transformative music is. Even though this is meant to be a silly blog post, I am also a musician who cannot bypass moments to speak about the importance of music, arts, and literature. This blend of country stylings and pop music really bring together the stories that these songs are telling. I especially love the little excerpts she has like "My Rose", "Smoke Hour" with Willie Nelson,  the "Flamenco", and "Oh Louisianna", they are perfect transition pieces to bring together the whole picture listening experience of this album. Each interlude is a brushstroke on the canvas of Cowboy Carter, adding depth and color to an already vivid masterpiece.

Cowboy Carter, you are not just a collection of songs but a journey—a journey that takes us through dusty trails, heartfelt ballads, and lively celebrations. You embody the spirit of storytelling, capturing the essence of both the rugged and the refined, the traditional and the contemporary. I have mentioned this before, but I had termed Beyonces presence and music as afro fabulous ghetto fusion, but for this country album I would give it that same title but with a southern honky tonk undertone. Maybe titling it "Southern Afro Fabulous Ghetto- Tonk Fusion" would be a better accumulation. Listening to "Riverdance" gives me sweet frolicking vibes through a corn field but when you spout out "Bounce on that sh-- dance" and "no hands" with her Texas-Bama twangy voice it gives the sweet frolicking vibes, some spice. It turns frolicking into "praise dance" that is in predominantly black religious spaces. 

Oh, Cowboy Carter, you are a treasure. A nice turn from normative country music. Black-Afro Creatives like you, Lil Nas X, Nelly, Tobe Nwigwe, and Shaboozey to name a few are redefining the genre and carving out a space that celebrates our diverse cultural heritage. You bring a fresh, vibrant energy that breathes new life into country music, challenging conventions and broadening the horizons of what this genre can be. 

Just like your song "Partition" from your Flawless Album, "Jolene" from your current work of art, and "I'm That Girl" from your previous one, Renaissance Album, you address themes of infidelity, desire, and self-empowerment. You traverse muddy waters to turn it into something of interest to the masses. You are a universal treasure with lots of funky madness to share. It's this fearless fusion that makes Cowboy Carter so extraordinary. You give contemporary country music a new meaning as you add to the diversification of this genre. 

Your song "Church Girl" from the Renaissance Album also stands out with its powerful message about the tension between spirituality and worldly desires. It's an anthem of liberation, capturing the struggle and triumph of embracing one's full identity without guilt or shame. You show how messiness can shake up traditional and conservative spaces in the arts and music world. You make blank spaces colorful and stories of love complex but desirable and sensual with a vibrant beat like "Crazy in Love" , but through this messiness you always bring it back to your roots. You give "Southern Hospitality" a new definition, one that allows for a diverse range of narratives, one that is inclusive, soulful, one that is filled with resonating empowerment. 

Country music needs to be colorful and that color needs to be spotlighted more often. From Lil Nas X to Shaboozey, Carin Leon to Beyonce, and many other artists of color who have been and are making their "country" strides now and in the near future. Also, I use "country" loosely because there are regional differences in country music, for example, Carin Leon probably wouldn't be classified as country music to his region of origin, but it may be a more specific musical style similar to Los Tigres Del Nrote. Their music sounds like a variation of country music maybe like honky tonk stylings, but they were founded in Rose Morada in Sinaola Mexico whose regional music is banda and norteno with European fanfare influence and waltz, and many other influences, so to just call it country music doesn't always incorporate the whole creation of their music style. All this to say, when we think of country music, we often do not think of these artists because country music has been more white-european-hetero-patriarchal and is often associated with conservativism, patriotism, working-class southern values that tell it as it is about life which tends to mean that it wants to stick to the "original plan" which is based in biblical rhetoric of the American way to life which simultaneously disregards diverse perspectives and identities. But you, Cowboy Carter, bring the fire and add to the flame of people of color dominating country music. I leave readers with this question, regarding Americana music and its white male  dominated space, if Americana is meant to address and be for American identity, then why arent there more artists of color brought to the forefront more often? Could this truly be "Americana" without the diversity aspect that encapsulates the origins of America?

P.S. I Love you.

Thank you for reading this unserious beloved note.

Make Americana "Ghetto" Again.