Meet many of the singers, musicians, and producers who appear on Beyoncé's genre-bending Cowboy Carter LP. Listen to their work on and off the album.
Johnny Cash threw genres out the window with his American Recordings series. Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton have explored wide-ranging sounds and concepts throughout their storied careers. The greatest musical artists are rarely confined to one lane or style. The same can be said for Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Cowboy Carter is Beyoncé's deep dive into country and Americana — from twangy to rootsy to rocking. And it certainly branches out more in its 80-minute runtime. With it, the creative force behind this project enlists a bevy of producers, songwriters, and up-and-coming performers to help her achieve a result that simply can't be categorized. It's a Beyoncé album, like she said before its release, and it's one of the greatest I've heard.
If you've listened to it countless times or none at all, here's a chance to expand the horizons a bit. Go deeper. I've looked into the talented collaborators featured on Beyoncé's LP, and loved the findings so much that I wanted to share them with you. If you make it all the way through this gargantuan expanded playlist, you may come away with bunch of new favorite artists.
Cultural curation was no doubt a goal for Beyoncé in making this work. She shone a light on the legends, the behind-the-scenes players, and the promising young country musicians. Read on and grab some headphones; get familiar with what promises to be the album of the year.
Cowboy Carter: Expanded Universe
Hit play on the video below to embark on a journey of discovery through the sounds and works of the collaborators featured on Beyoncé's genre-bending hit album Cowboy Carter. You'll also hear some of the album tracks on which they're featured.
Hit play below, and keep reading for notes on what you'll be hearing.
Song listing:
1. "Smoke Hour • Willie Nelson" — the perfect Cowboy Carter intro to kick off the playlist.
2. "Alliigator Tears" (from Cowboy Carter)
3. Brittney Spencer, "New To This Town" — A single from Spencer, a Baltimore singer who's one of the up-and-coming country artists singing with Beyoncé on "Blackbiird."
4. Paul and Linda McCartney, "Heart of the Country" — A twangy, down-home vintage track from McCartney, whose original guitar part is used in Beyoncé's cover of "Blackbird."
5. "Blackbiird" (from Cowboy Carter)
6. Tiera Kennedy, "Jesus, My Mama, My Therapist" — A fun-yet-introspective tune from Kennedy, one of the four "Blackbiird" collaborators.
7. "16 Carriages" (from Cowboy Carter) ... Take a closer look at these lyrics. This is one of Beyoncé's most biographical tunes (which is saying a lot), an epic narrative ballad in the tradition of "Coal Miner's Daughter." Lean in.
8. Ink, "Dearly Departed" — We're bowled over by the cowboy aesthetic of this artist/producer, who co-writes and has production credits on "16 Carriages" and more.
9. Robert Randolph and the Family Band, "Strange Train" — Blues and soul dynamo Randolph assisted with pedal steel on "16 Carriages."
10. Willie Nelson, "On the Road Again" — His voice as a DJ on the album is more than just a country-legend stunt. The way Willie approaches recording music is strikingly similar to Beyoncé's playbook of late. Genres be damned: They play and make what inspires them.
11. "Bodyguard" (from Cowboy Carter)
12. Stevie Wonder, "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" — Wonder, who lends harmonica to "Jolene" on the album, had his own groovin' flirtation with twang and country crooning back decades ago.
13. Justus West, "Come Together" — The singer and guitarist played on "16 Carriages."
14. Raphael Saadiq, "Belongs to God" — Saadiq is all over Cowboy Carter. He's won plenty of acclaim with his own soul and gospel work.
15. Cam, "Burning House" — Songwriter Camaron Ochs is better known to country fans as Cam. She contributes to five tracks on Cowboy Carter, including stripped-down standouts "Protector" and "Daughter."
16. "Protector" (from Cowboy Carter)
17. Rhiannon Giddens, "Julie" — The award-winning musician's expert-level banjo kicks off "Texas Hold 'Em."
18. Shaboozey, "Let It Burn" — His voice can be heard mixing it up with Beyoncé's on a couple of tracks. The Virginia native is just as much of a genre-bender.
19. "Jolene" — Complete with an intro from the one and only "Dolly P," Beyoncé reworks a desperate plea into a strong statement of confidence ... and a warning.
20. Reyna Roberts, "Miranda" — More wicked wordplay here, from one of the young singers featured on "Blackbiird."
21. Mamii, "Wonderiin" — Among other tunes on the LP, Mamii cowrote "My Rose" and "Flamenco," two of the purest pieces of lyrical poetry to be found in it.
22. "Flamenco" (from Cowboy Carter)
23. Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You"
24. Linda Martell, "You're Crying Boy, Crying"— Martell's voice on Cowboy Carter is hugely important. And it's a fine reason to do a deep dive into her own groundbreaking country music catalog.
25. Chuck Berry, "Oh Louisiana" — Berry's influence is outsized in general, but the way Beyoncé interpolates his country-soul classic on the album is particularly inspired. Here's the original.
26. Post Malone, "You Can Have The Crown" — Post Malone — who appears with Beyoncé in the duet "Leviis Jeans" — has enjoyed his own country trajectory, one that started a few years ago when he performed some twangy tunes (including this one by Sturgill Simpson) backed by Dwight Yoakam's band.
27. Willie Nelson, "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain"
28. Miley Cyrus, "Sweet Jane" — She duets with Beyoncé on "II Most Wanted" to thrilling effect. She's one of the most nimble vocalists in music, as evidenced by this Cowboy Junkies cover tune.
29. Willie Jones, "Something To Dance To" — His sweet, melancholic vocals are a highlight when duetting with Beyoncé on "Just for Fun." He can also get folks moving — here's one of his upbeat tunes from recent years.
30. "Tyrant" (from Cowboy Carter)
31. Nancy Sinatra, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" — This song is sampled at the beginning of "Ya Ya" on Cowboy Carter. Smart. When you hear those first cascading notes, you know you're in for a good time.
32. Tanner Adell, "Buckle Bunny" — The last of the singers to contribute vocals to "Blackbiird," Adell turned heads in recent months with her independent-rodeo-gal anthem.
33. Chuck Berry, "Maybellene"
34. Linda Martell, "Color Him Father"
35. "II Most Wanted" (from Cowboy Carter)
36. Beyoncé and the Chicks, "Daddy Lessons" — from the 2016 CMAs. This could have been the experience that inspired Beyoncé in the first place. It's an amazing performance from both acts, and from the backing band.
37. Pharrell Williams, "Freedom" — Williams lent production to Cowboy Carter. He's also been a big part of Western culture's style moment, having conceived the cowboy-forward Louis Vuitton men's spring-summer presentation at Paris Fashion Week.
38. "Ya Ya" (from Cowboy Carter)
39. "Ameriican Requiem" (from Cowboy Carter) — This is actually the first track on the album. Either segue into the full album from here, or simply marvel at how well this opener works as a closer. It's really her thesis statement. "Can you stand me?" "Now is the time to let love in."
Dig into Cowboy Carter at beencountry.com.
