Beyoncé has officially released Act II: Cowboy Carter, the follow-up to her Grammy-winning album Renaissance.
The album, which features a 27-song tracklist, is not only Beyoncé’s first country album but it’s also the second installment in a potential trilogy or series of albums beginning with Renaissance.
Earlier this week, she released the complete tracklist on her Instagram, which includes a cover of Dolly Parton’s classic hit “Jolene,” as well as a collaboration with genre legend Willie Nelson on a song titled “Smoke Hour.” Post Malone is also reportedly featured on the track “Levii’s Jeans,” while Miley Cyrus is a guest vocalist on “II Most Wanted.”
Apart from her previously released singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ’Em,” other track titles are “Bodyguard,” “Alligator Tears,” “Amen,” “Sweet Honey Buckin” and a cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
Last month, Parton also celebrated Beyoncé on social media after she became the first Black woman to have a chart-topping track on the Billboard Hot Country chart thanks to “Texas Hold ’Em.” The country icon wrote, “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album.”
Beyoncé previously shared what led to the creation of Cowboy Carter, which has been in the making for more than five years. She wrote on Instagram earlier in March that the album spawned from her not feeling “welcomed” in the genre after previously facing criticisms when she initially tried to enter the country space.
“It was very clear that I wasn’t,” she wrote at the time. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
The “CUFF IT” singer added, “This genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
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