Beyonce did it again, releasing her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” that topped the charts immediately.

She is one of the most notable artists of this century, and I’m not afraid to say, everyone knows her. Queen Bey decided to spread her wings, or you could say ride into, a new genre she hadn’t touched before with her latest album, “Cowboy Carter.” By the name, I’m sure you can guess, it’s categorized as a country album. This was a bold move, seeing as she’s usually in a completely different genre most of the time, shocking all of her fans. This is the second part in the “Renaissance” three part album series, with the previous album by the same name, “Renaissance,” still playing on the radio. It’s been out for three weeks now, and a couple songs are still in the charts, but are the listens just from her dedicated Beyhive, or from everybody else too?

I listened to this album with already strong opinions, already having heard the single she originally released before the album, “Texas Hold’em.” Originally hearing it on the radio, “Texas Hold’em” was an immediate no from me. Somehow, I am not a fan of this song, and yet I still know every word to it, staying in everyone’s head for days. This song was very catchy, so it was a good single and teaser for the album.

Beyonce has two covers on the album, “Blackbird” by the Beatles, and “Jolene”, by Dolly Parton. Though it’s hard to say if “Jolene” can be counted as a cover. “Blackbird” was good and somber as always, and was combined with the voices of Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts. Definitely not as good as the Beatles, but she did the song justice. “Jolene” on the other hand was very different, though following a similar story, the listener realizes after the first line that the words are all different. This is Dolly Parton’s number one song, and I don’t think it should be done any other way, Beyonce’s clearly didn’t stand close to it.

There were a couple features from some of the greatest country artists ever, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Linda Martell. Each made their own names in the country music genre, and were heard in transitions between songs. Of course Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts were mentioned earlier but making an appearance on other songs included Shaboozey, Willie Jones, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and her one of her own daughters, Rumi Carter.

Though called and marketed as a country album, I wouldn’t call “Cowboy Carter” only that. It was at heart, but also delved into rap, hip hop, folk, pop, blues, and more. There is guitar, fiddling, and lyrics that all match the cowboy agenda, and yet it goes beyond that. All these genres combined onto one album made it a little more enjoyable to listen to.

“Cowboy Carter” is her eighth album, and yet not one of the best. It’s hard to top some of her previous albums, like “Renaissance”, and her album “Beyonce”. Of course it’s hard to top these albums, but you expect to go up, not down. Though currently topping the charts, I don’t expect it to be an all around loved album by everyone. The Beyhive is surely going crazy on all socials, but that’s exclusive to them only. So I wouldn’t say everybody is dancing as she said in “Riiverdance.”

As a casual listener of Beyonce, I am confident in saying that I give “Cowboy Carter” 6/10 vikings. Though it has a couple good songs, it doesn’t resonate as much as her other albums, especially her most recent, “Renaissance.” Hopefully “Renaissance Act III” will come with better hits.

(If you are a part of Beyonce’s Beyhive, please don’t come for me)