Beyoncé has revealed the track listing for her upcoming new album ‘Act II: Cowboy Carter’, just two days ahead of its release.
‘Cowboy Carter’ is set to be released on Friday (March 29), the pop icon’s eighth studio album, and the second instalment of a believed trilogy project that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.
Tracks included on the album are previous singles ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘16 Carriages’, as well as ‘Jolene’, which Dolly Parton had previously confirmed Beyoncé had recorded a cover of.
See all the titles revealed by Beyoncé in an Instagram post below:
Also listed are songs named ‘Dolly P’ and ‘Smoke Hour Willie Nelson’, apparent tributes to greats of the country genre, as well as ‘The Linda Martell Show’, a reference to one of the first successful Black country artists.
Last week, Queen Bey revealed the artwork for the album, after having disclosed its name a month earlier.
The artwork sees the singer in a white cowboy hat with long platinum blonde locks while wearing a red, white and blue leather outfit holding an American flag and wearing a “Country Carter” sash while sitting upon a white horse.
The singer also addressed some of the backlash she has received for foraying into the country music sphere. Writing on Instagram, she said: “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”
“It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She continued: “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
“I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album.” she concluded. “This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
Among the critics of Beyoncé’s new direction is Azealia Banks, who has described her new music as “white woman cosplay”, and said she is “setting herself up to be ridiculed”.
The album is available for pre-save/pre-order here. Limited edition coloured vinyl pressings in red, white, blue and black are available as well as two limited-edition CDs with alternative cover photos featuring half of her face on display.
