It all began with a discussion on the 947 radio station, debating the worthiness of this album. Intrigued, I decided to give it a listen on Apple Music, hosting my own impromptu listening party to see what all the fuss was about. I was oblivious to what I was going to listen to.

I could tell right away that this was Beyoncé, but the instrumentation and rhythm were different — it’s a country album — so I knew I was in for something unique. Even so, I eased myself into the album and listened to every track from the first to the finish, but I wasn’t going to listen to it again immediately away.

After a day or two, I went back and this time I played it from the bottom going up and I found myself unexpectedly forming a connection with it now, and realized that some of the songs were actually a vibe and some were more memorable than others, the third time I listened to the album I was then just free styling and picking the songs I wanted to hear and had caught my type of vibe when I listen to music.

Cowboy Carter is a body of work that takes at least two or three listens to really appreciate and understand the significance of the messages it conveys. You also need to be open-minded and not only interested in dancing right away and transporting oneself to a different level of musical happiness. Though it’s crucial to remember that it’s a new genre and might not be to your taste, if you allow it enough time to simmer, you can find yourself unintentionally grooving to the noises.

Although, the messaging is very important and is a great way to encourage people to get back into making the American dream work, especially from someone as influential as Bey. I find the album cover quite controversial because why would a black woman be waving an American flag considering everything going on such as the racial profiling among other issues.

Many fans took to social media to express their opinions and one user in an attempt to defend the Queen B said, “Beyoncé took the flag to mean she was taking ownership of her Americanness” which was quickly met with a reply of another fan who stated “The American flag has represented imperialism and violence in the global South for longer than any of us have been alive, you can feel connected to your roots here without being draped in a symbol of oppression for the majority of the world.” This sums up the whole dialogue of the cover art and how it might still pose a problem for many fans that are still going to listen to the album and tie the cover to the message of the album.

COWBOY CARTER by BEYONCE KNOWLES-CARTER offers a captivating feel into the world of country music with it’s memorable melodies that make it recommendable, as an intriguing addition to the artist’s discography, whether you’re someone who enjoys music with a political message, someone who looks for something different, or are looking to find yourself dancing to unconventional beats or thoroughly enjoy country music COWBOY CARTER is for you, it’s definitely worth a try and adding to your playlist for to explore a different kind of QUEEN B!