I think it’s safe to say in comparison to Act 1 that Cowboy Carter hasnt left the long lasting impression folks mighta been hoping for.

Where do you think went wrong? Was it too bloated? Was it a victim of not reading the room going “we aint tryna hear that rn Sharif.” Was it between a rock and a hard place not going fully in one direction over the other? Did Beyonce’s “carti-esque” mentality about this era not help its longevity?

(If you are a fan you can disagree say what you liked about it)

And does this make you worry about Act 3?

Personally, I think it wasnt really country enough.

When news of this dropped I thought we was getting 12 daddy lessons-tier songs & 16 Carriages had me hype asf.

Then Texas hold em dropped

I think the album tried to please too many ppl and ended up kinda not pleasing everyone completely. Jolene shoulda stayed on the floor, needed more bodyguard, alligator tears, and most wanted type of joints

it didn't, it's her best project

It didn't go wrong for me

I liked that it had wonderful, amazing music throughout

I'm not worried for act iii, in fact, the first two acts have given me the utmost confidence.

What do you feel about her fans that claim the opposite?

it was too ambitious for its own good

I respect your consistency in your stance since release I remember you and twin @atthepyramids back n forths over the album

RENAISSANCE BETTER!

Thats why we twin

she got some heat in her discog, everybody gon have their personal favs, not mad at it

Indeed!

I don't think the album really did anything wrong tbh.

It was a bit bloated but the overall musical highs and thematic cohesion make up for it.

At the end of the day, the album was highly acclaimed, won AOTY, had a number 1 hit, went Plat, sparked a huge tour, helped Shaboozey's career, and showcased her versatility.

Just not sure what more Bey could've done here other than provide music videos.

i don’t think her fans care about country music, a house album is more adjacent to her usual pop/r&b than country

the tour is more culturally relevant than the album

I didn’t have much of a problem with it (other than length, ambition and some features). Renaissance cleared but she’s 2/2 rn for acts. I’m certain her last act with be appreciated the most tho

taking outliers from a discog and turning it into a full album of that length was always not going to go well in the long term honestly
people are always gonna compare it to the last time you did that style

the difference with renaissance is beyoncé didn’t have songs like that before

if you want country beyoncé you got daddy lessons already

it is a good album tho for the most part

I've always been a sucker for albums that hold a unique spot in an artist's body of work

maybe its just cause im in texas but i hear texas hold em everytime i go out regardless the type of spot and i remember folks were hyped about the jolene cover i thought it was bigger than renaissance was idk tho

but 16 carriages was amazing to me.

My critique personally is it just wasn't country enough.

when that advertisement came out saying, "this isn't a country album, it's a beyonce album" my heart sank, the album confirmed said fears.

I felt the whole concept behind the album was to bend the confines of country music through her own lens both musically and conceptually in terms of country as an idea

it was executed beautifully imo, it managed to sound rooted in country yet unmistakably her, I think the songs sound exactly the way they're meant to, it feels organic, respectful and progressive and the concept behind making the project ties it all together in an incredible way

jolene & texas hold em aint feel nan organic but aye to each their own.

just please no opera on act 3

blackbird cover

The album is decent. A little bloated and scattershot in some places but I think it's generally a good project

Definitely not fully country Bey, a full tape of DADDY LESSONS/16 CARRIAGES/ALLIGATOR TEARS/LEVI'S JEANS, (yeah I know) tier songs would've been real nice

Just like Renaissance. Bending and blending genres with an overall theme connecting all different sounds. Flamenco -> Amen rivals anything on Renaissance in terms of scope, inventiveness and authenticity.