'Cowboy Carter': From hate-listening to proud blasting
'Cowboy Carter': From hate-listening to proud blasting
When a non-Beyhive-but-Beyhive member finally admits Beyonce's country album is better than she expected
I roll my eyes when people bring up the Beyhive. I always swear I’m not in it. That is, until somebody says something slick about Beyonce. Then, I’m inserting myself into the conversation to defend her. I’ve done it so many times I may as well admit I might be a bronze member of the Beyhive. Gold and silver membership is for the nuts.
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I can still respect constructive criticism of her though. That’s one of the primary reasons my original response to Beyonce releasing a country album was “uck.” I wasn’t into this decision. I cringed at the lighting in her recent Instagram pages, the platinum blonde hair and the cowboy hats. It felt way too much like she wasn’t Taylor Swift’s biggest concert competition. Instead, it felt like she was trying to be Taylor Swift. It made me sad, specifically for an artist who proudly boasts, “I like my Negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils.”
I wanted dirty blonde Beyonce or dark brown-haired Beyonce back. I wanted the Beyonce who introduced me to Nija, Moonchild Sanelly and Tierra Whack on “Power.” I wanted to hear and see the one who made me want to hear more from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on “Flawless.”
I wanted the one who had me unapologetically two-stepping down the street to songs about church girls and “building my own foundation.” I wanted the lady who had me damn near snarling the lyrics to “Me, Myself and I” offkey and at top volume. I wanted the woman who made me dance like Serena (with my middle fingers up). I wanted the lady who could justify wearing a flowing yellow dress while committing a felony. Not country Beyonce.
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Meanwhile, I’m usually open-minded on all genres of music
I’d outgrown my country phase — sorta. Between 2011 to 2013, I was into country music heavily. Part of the reason was my interest in “The Voice” and loving Blake Shelton’s voice. “Sure Be Cool If You Did” still warms my heart, and I let out an “mmph” when the song starts. On my worst work days, I definitely wanted to yank the headphones out of the laptop socket and turn “I Still Got a Finger” to top volume.
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During those same years, I was also swooning over a childhood crush and loving the Brad Paisley song “Waitin’ On a Woman.” And when my crush and I parted ways (one of many times over a five-year period), I think I streamed Jerrod Niemann’s “What Do You Want” enough to fund a car for Niemann! I would start my work shift playing that single and leave it on repeat the entire night in the newsroom.
Then, I lost interest in country music. I don’t know why. During President Barack Obama’s second term, it just wasn’t my thing anymore.
I went through the same kind of phase with solely listening to jazz music from 2010 and onward. I was so into jazz instrumentals that I volunteered for every single event during Chicago’s Hyde Park Jazz Fest and circled back to volunteer an additional year.
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I go through waves where I just want to listen to one genre more than any other. In my teenage years, Crystal Waters and Ace of Base had me blasting house and dance music heavily. My after-school job at a radio research firm still makes me nostalgic when I hear The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony” or Beenie Man’s “Who Am I?” Then, in my 20s, exercising at Flirty Girl Fitness made me want to hear David Essex’s “Rock On” all the time. And while Outkast fans are pissed at Andre 3000’s “New Blue Sun” from last year, I’m still playing it during my morning meditation.
Clearly, I’m not close-minded when it comes to enjoying different music genres. I don’t just want to hear R&B and hip-hop Beyonce. I played Beyonce’s “Daddy Lessons” almost as much as The Chicks “March March” — and loved that they collaborated at the 2016 Country Music Awards.
But my problem with this “Country Carter” album is I just couldn’t shake the feeling that Beyonce was doing this album solely to win an “Album Of the Year” Grammy and beat Taylor Swift. (Jay Z’s Dr. Dre Global Impact speech only made me that much more convinced.)
Instagram: Beyonce gives K. Michelle her flowers
I wasn’t sold on the idea that Beyonce really wanted to do a country album like K. Michelle has been talking about for years. When K. Michelle said she was going to yodel and do country, I shrugged my shoulders and streamed her country songs — even though they don’t hold a candle to R&B songs like “Something About the Night” or “Hard To Do.”
It’s rare that I find a hidden gem like “Southern Man” by Cecily Wilborn that makes me want to go through a country phase again. Still, if black women want to do country music, I’m kinda sorta along for the ride. The least I could do is listen before hating on the idea. So I found Beyonce’s country album and pressed play.