Is Country Is As Country Was?

Can this album even be considered country? That is the question I would like for you to ask yourself as you read this article and listen to Beyoncé’s new album “Cowboy Carter.” Not just Beyoncé’s new album, but also some newer songs that are being released. I think right away of Morgan Wallen’s “Broadway Girls,” Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” or Gabby Barrett’s “The Good Ones.”

To even answer this question, we first need to look more into what country music is. This is where things can get tricky.

Country music is a genre that I have been in love with for pretty much my whole life. I grew up listening to some older country music like George Straight, early Garth Brooks, Reba and Alan Jackson to name a few. I then came to love some (at the time) current music like Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, Carrie Underwood and Billy Currington. And now I enjoy the “newer” artists like Megan Moroney, Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.

There are a few reasons why I love country music. The first is that country music, besides K-Love, was the only music my dad would play in the car. He felt like most of the songs were appropriate. I think they also have some common themes of what a “good life” is. The themes are things that I think we all can relate to, whether we are looking to be known by people, be loved by a significant other or to have a good time with friends. We are all searching for the answer to what a good life is, and country music tries to answer that question.

It never tries to say things that aren’t relatable. As Ted Kluck puts it, “Country never makes you feel stupid.” It allows you to go on a journey with the singer down back roads, corn fields or to mamaw’s house. We can rely on country music to be consistent, and it’s always a good tune to play around a campfire or in a pickup.

Do we define country music by what the song talks about? Do we go based on themes or are we defining it by the style of music and instruments played? Depending on how we answer that question, some of the current country artists have songs that may not fit into the “country genre.”

Does any song that talks about trucks, girls or beer become country? I don’t think so. If so, we would have to take some different rap or R&B songs into consideration. What makes country music country is more about the style, the instruments played, the tone of voice.

With the artists that I mentioned earlier we can see common themes, yes, but the styles are also similar. We see guitar, some banjo and fiddle, they have that country type of twang. Beyoncé may have grown up in Dallas and have a country accent, but when you listen to her album I would argue that you don’t go, “Oh yeah, this is country music,” like you can say when listening to other songs. Or when asked to “Play Something Country,” like Brooks & Dunn would ask, you’re most likely not going to start playing Beyoncé.

Some are saying that Beyoncé’s album is forcing people to ask the same questions I am writing about. What does it mean to be country and what makes something country?

In her song “Spaghetti” it opens with the lines: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?… In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand but in practice, well, some may feel confined.”

I think this quote may kind of hit it on the head. Genres are tricky. You think they are easy, but the more you think about them the more complicated they get. I think we may need to add a new genre to the book. We need a genre that is based on country but that has a more R&B or pop feel to them. I think of Morgan Wallen’s newer songs, Lil Nas X, Post Malone or Beyoncé’s songs. She has some different country themes but they are not anything like the current country genre.

Now don’t get me wrong, this new album showcases Beyoncé’s voice in a new and unique way. She is really talented and can sing. It is also interesting to think that this is really the only time in her career that she can do this. If she were to try and do this early in her career, it would probably not have worked out as well as it is now.

Beyoncé has released a lot of music from 2003 all the way up to a few months ago in 2024. Her career in this industry has been very successful. She is most known for her music in R&B, pop and hip-hop.

In this album she showcases some different artists that are well known in the country category like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. She was able to use their influence to get others involved in this album. She brings in Post Malone and Miley Cirus, who they themselves have released music that has been on the border between genres.

I think if people did not know Beyoncé or like her music they would not have been inclined or as excited for this album. I have asked some of my friends to listen to some of her songs and the reactions have been very different.

This album works for some people and others question what Beyoncé is doing. Beyoncé is pursuing a bigger conversation. She is seeking to get out of the genre she has maybe felt confined to in her career. I mean, imagine being stuck doing the same type of thing all the time. Sometimes you just need to break out and experiment with the unknown.

Think about going to a bar or restaurant to go line dancing. You would not really expect to see Beyoncé on stage singing the songs from her album. This new album has thrown a lot of people off. I think it opens a broader conversation of creating a potential new genre or a mash-up of different genres. Is this the direction that the music industry is heading? As we continue to move forward are more artists going to branch out and make music that merges genres? I would think that this is already starting to happen and will continue to happen as we move forward.