I wrote in this morning’s site open that Beyoncé had yet to share the COWBOY CARTER tracklist. And then she shared the tracklist!
Are we seriously looking at a 27-song album? My colleague Michael suggested that some of these titles might be interludes? Is there something to the colour coding? Like we know for sure that “Texas Hold’ Em” and “16 Carriages” are songs, and they’re both in red. So is it possible that the ones in blue and white mean something else? “Jolene”, by the way, is red. That’s pretty much a confirmation of the rumour that’s been around forever, right? That Beyoncé will finally cover Dolly Parton’s classic? “The Linda Martell Show” refers to the Black country music pioneer who was the first to play the Grand Ole Opry which, of course, tracks with what Beyoncé’s intention with this album and the music.
I love that so many of the words have two “I’s”, for act ii, of course. And I really, really love “Brought to you by KNTRY Radio Texas” because it’s a multiple entendre. KNTRY is an extension of all the cunting or kunting that Beyoncé was doing act i RENAISSANCE and of course it’s a reference to country music radio as an industry which for a long time has been the gatekeeper of the genre. So a re-spelling of the word can also be seen as a reclaiming of this world. Her music won’t depend on Country Music Radio because she IS KNTRY Radio.
There is so much to unpack, even more questions than we started with. As usual, the Queen gave away nothing! But this is SO much fun!
A newspaper in Canada has politicised Sydney Sweeney’s breasts, assigning to her body and her person a significance that she did not ask for. As Kayleigh Donaldson writes, it’s not like breasts were ever out of style, lol. And it’s not like she’s out here actively advocating that they should be on trend. (Pajiba)
I love this look on Joely Richardson. Is it giving tarot card reader? Yes, sure. But it’s also very stylish – and a big reason for that is the choice in footwear. So many others choosing this dress would have been tempted to go with some kind of ankle heel. The boots are exactly right. (GoFugYourself)
Spent last weekend listening to Shakira’s new album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, and I LOVE it. So much. Shaki is crushing it right now – she sounds great, she has always moved beautifully, and there might be a new young stud in her life: Lucien Laviscount. Girl… get it. (Celebitchy)
Tyla’s “Water” was one of the defining songs of 2023. Her new album just dropped last week too. I haven’t spent as much time with it as I want to, but I’m deeply into what I’ve already heard of it. And the reviews have been amazing. An 8.0 from Pitchfork doesn’t happen often. (Pitchfork)