Beyoncé’s latest album delves into the essence of country music.

Dive into Beyoncé’s transformative album “Cowboy Carter,” where she breaks down genre barriers and introduces a unique blend of musical styles. Uncover the journey of redefining country music genres and the impact it’s making on the music industry.

There are several well-known names at the top of the country music charts, including Zach Bryan. Luke Cooper. Wallen Morgan. These are big names in country music, names that any fan would be familiar with.

And there’s Beyoncé, sitting among them all, her face hidden by the tip of her cowboy hat.

On March 29, Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter,” a sprawling 27-track manifesto that is absolutely not a country album, she claims, but is instead a Beyoncé album “rooted in country.”

Cowboy Carter” is Beyoncé’s response to her controversial 2016 Country Music Awards performance, which sparked such strong racial criticism that the show had to remove recordings from its social media accounts. She was once turned down by the genre, but now she has rode onto the frontier of country music, planting her flag and reshaping it with her own Texas-bred persona.

“Cowboy Carter” is replete with references, statements, and country influences in both its words and graphics. When taken as a whole, the work—which is far more than an album—pries at the foundations of musical tradition, posing the question, “What is genre?” Country—what is it? And who makes the final decision?

“Cowboy Carter” asserts his country origins.

All one has to do to understand Beyoncé’s intentions for the project is glance at the cover of the album “Cowboy Carter.” According to Charles Hughes, who co-writes the music newsletter No Fences Review and studies race and music at Rhodes College, this image of Beyoncé sitting side-saddle on a white horse and holding an American flag in the other is a direct nod to Black rodeo traditions and rodeo queens, especially in her hometown of Houston.

Hughes was instantly taken aback by the image as soon as he saw the cover.

“It’s referencing a form of country culture — iconography of country music — that numerous other Black artists have employed, not in an attempt to venture into new territories, but rather to assert their ownership of the land, as it has always been,” stated Hughes.

“Cowboy Carter” is descended from a tradition of Black country crossover records, such as 1981’s “Just A Lil’ Bit Country,” by Millie Jackson, during the height of her R&B career. Also worth mentioning are Bobby Womack’s “BW Goes C&W” (1976) and Ray Charles’ “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” (1962), both of which had images of Womack riding a horse and Black cowboys on either side of him.

Not to mention the innumerable Black musicians and artists who influenced country music from the start—a well-researched past that some proponents of contemporary country music chose to overlook. Reactions to Beyoncé’s CMA performance exposed the consequences of burying history. Along with a few racist comments, some critics embarrassed the celebrity for her opinions on police enforcement and said she wasn’t sufficiently country.

Beyoncé makes the most of this past. The “Cowboy Carter” track list looks like flyers for shows on the Chitlin Circuit, tours that were exclusive to Black audiences and that White people shied away from. Hughes pointed out that the image also harks back to a time when radio stations frequently sponsored group country music tours. And it’s Beyoncé’s own radio station, KNTRY Radio Texas, which is a fictitious station that is mentioned throughout the album with voiceovers by Willie Nelson, a country music icon.

This seems to be a warning that if current country radio stations won’t play Beyoncé’s song “Texas Hold ‘Em,” she will start her own. This comes after some reports of stations being reluctant to play her track.

Beyoncé is surrounded by legendary country musicians.

With her new album, Beyoncé may be venturing into uncharted territory, but she’s bringing the finest in country music with her. “Cowboy Carter” is anchored by three legendary country musicians who make brief cameos throughout the record, dispelling any remaining doubts about Beyoncé’s credentials. Nelson, a well-known and adored country music icon, is heard inviting listeners to come closer with the words, “Sometimes you don’t know what you like until someone you trust turns you on.”

Then there’s Dolly Parton, a vocal admirer of Beyoncé’s music, who uses her instantly identifiable drawl to introduce “Cowboy Carter’s” rendition of “Jolene.”

Even though the final of the three legends is less well-known, her contributions are no less significant. Hughes explained that Linda Martell was a trailblazing figure in country music, and there are two layers of significance to her appearance.

Martell, the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, achieved considerable popularity with her 1970 album “Color Me Country.”

However, because of the status of the business at the time, Martell was subjected to verbal and physical racism by both venue bookers and patrons. Martell has claimed that a record producer who chose to support a White musician over her ultimately “blackballed” her from the industry. Shortly after “Color Me Country,” she finally quit the business and never put out another record.

According to Hughes, placing Martell on the CD on a same footing with celebrities like Parton and Nelson both supports the artist and corrects historical wrongs.

Hughes stated, “There’s something really powerful about the sort of three country icons on the album, Linda Martell, (who) far fewer people knew about, and Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, who are unquestionably country icons.” “That seems to be saying that Linda Martell ought to be there,

“Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?” is how Martell introduces herself before the song “Spaghetti.” Theoretically, their definition is straightforward and easy to comprehend. However, in reality, some people could feel constrained.

The record pushes the boundaries of its genre.

The fact that Martell’s reflections come before “Spaghetti,” a song that probably alludes to the Western film genre, merely serves to highlight how country music is constantly changing. Beyoncé and country hip-hop artist Shaboozey collaborate on a wild, genre-bending song that asks, “Could this also be country?”

Country music fans are accustomed to hearing rap and hip-hop mixed with country music, according to Hughes. White country music singers have been experimenting with this genre for a while now. Two notable examples are Florida Georgia Line and their song “Cruise,” which has been remixed to include rapper Nelly from “Country Grammar,” and Jason Aldean, who experiments with flow on his 2010 smash song “Dirt Road Anthem.” (Rapper and fellow Georgian Ludacris also contributes to the remix of the song, demonstrating that Black talent can contribute their own country credentials to a blend of genres.)

The album, according to Hughes, “is actually an interesting demonstration of how expansive country music can be.”

Even though they aren’t thought of as genre icons, several southern hip hop artists have consistently identified with their rural roots. Rappers and groups such as Big KRIT, Nappy Rootz, UGK, and others have all praised their country southern roots; in fact, the latter have declared themselves to be country rap.

Hughes stated, “There’s really no reason why a group like Nappy Rootz couldn’t have been on country radio.”

Houston, Beyoncé’s hometown, is well-known for its hip hop culture, but it’s also evident that the city is deeply rooted in Southern culture. After all, she is the same performer who repeatedly alludes to her “Texas bama” heritage, made several appearances at the Houston rodeo, and whose early days with Destiny’s Child demonstrated a fondness for cowboy hats.

According to Hughes, it makes sense that all of those sounds and influences may manifest simultaneously. Beyoncé is merely stirring things up by urging us to think about a more expansive concept of country, if nothing else.

“Sweet Honey Buckiin” is a similarly genre-bending song to “Spaghetti.” Beyoncé begins the song by belting out Patsy Cline’s timeless country ballad, “I Fall to Pieces.” Cline’s longing for a love lost isn’t present in Beyoncé’s rendition, though. In a combination of singing and rapping, our narrator jumps to Houston and recalls childhood memories of Jiffy cornbread and mechanical bulls. Once more, Beyoncé emphasizes her goal here: this may not be the country you’re accustomed to, but it’s hers.

Beyoncé also took inspiration for several songs on the album from Western films, even playing some of the tracks in the background while she recorded, including “Urban Cowboy,” “Space Cowboys,” “The Harder They Fall,” “Five Fingers For Marseilles,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

According to Hughes, “there are auditory breadcrumbs of these Westerns’ effect on “Cowboy Carter.” For instance, the finger-picked guitar in “Daughter” is evocative of old-west cowboy tunes. The California rock group Buffalo Springfield’s song “For What It’s Worth” is referenced in “Ameriican Requiem.” “Texas Hold ‘Em” conjures up images of dance halls, which were notably portrayed in the 1980 movie “Urban Cowboy.”

Despite the album’s historical allusions, collaborations, references, and teachings, it has not been without criticism. In one interpretation of “Jolene,” Beyoncé is said to have substituted “a bunch of bad-bitch clichés” for the song’s renowned vulnerability. Critics of the Paul McCartney song “Blackbird” have pointed out that it puts the four young Black women country musicians—Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts—in the background.

Still, Beyoncé has clearly increased these artists’ streams and fan base just by mentioning them. One may argue that their presence gives them a position among the elite of country music and makes room for more Black women in the business.

This is only one of several goals that Beyoncé has set for herself with her upcoming album: to explore the past, analyze the present, and map out the direction of country music. In the end, nevertheless, the musician asserts that the music is everything. According to a press release, Beyoncé stated, “I think people are going to be surprised because I don’t think this music is what everyone expects.” However, it’s the best song I’ve ever written.