Beyoncé is entering her Cowgirl Era.
If you thought that Bey was just randomly rocking cowboy hats all of a sudden — from the promo pics for her “Renaissance” album, tour and merch to the Grammys just over a week ago — then you don’t know Bey.
And like the marketing queen that she is, she used the biggest audience possible — in a Super Bowl 2024 commercial for Verizon that ended with Beyoncé saying “Drop the new music” — to tease the arrival of two surprise new country singles: “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages.”
On a night that was supposed to belong to another pop superstar — Super Bowl LVIII halftime show headliner Usher — once again B was causing all that conversation.
(We’re sure that Usher was all good with it — after his epic extravaganza at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, he reportedly went ahead and got married to his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Goicoechea.)
But here we are beginning what is “Act II” of the “Renaissance” rollout, which began with “Act I” — a house-music manifesto led by her No. 1 hit “Break My Soul” — in 2022.
But judging by “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” Beyoncé is now taking us from the clubs to the country on “Act II,” which thankfully — no surprises here — we know is due March 29.
Welcome to the Rodeo-sance.
It shouldn’t be a complete shock that the all-time Grammy winner can actually do country music. On “Lemonade,” her now-classic 2016 LP, she went full-on hoedown on “Daddy Lessons.”
To (cowboy) boot, she even earned some country cred by performing the song at the 2016 CMAs with the Chicks.
And on the rare times that we actually get to hear Beyoncé speak, you can tell that she’s an all-the-way Southern girl.
She reps her Houston roots on “Texas Hold ’Em” — the first track on “Act II” — a bluegrassy bop that is the catchier of the two new tunes.
“Come pour some sugar on me, honey too/It’s a real life boogie, it’s a real-life hoedown/Don’t be a bitch, come take it to the floor now,” she commands over a banjo-laced, foot-stomping beat.
Meanwhile, “16 Carriages” — the last of 16 tracks on “Act II” — is more of a dirge than a ditty that rides with a solemn deliberation.
Both songs are hardly what is considered “hot” in country music now. Morgan Wallen need not be worried.
Beyoncé’s spin on the genre is actually more of a traditionalist take with elements of gospel and a bit of blues.
But for now, the jury is still out on whether this new direction is going to stop anyone from wishing that she hadn’t just dropped another “Cuff It.”