As Beyoncé gears up for the release of her next solo album, “Cowboy Carter,” she teased fans on Tuesday with the new record’s cover.
Are you excited for this album? What do you think of the cover? What, in your opinion, is it saying?
How do you feel about the reception the country music industry has given “Texas Hold ’Em,” one of the singles she’s already released from the album?
As the Times music critic Jon Pareles writes:
[The song] displays a familiarity with the sonic principles of old-fashioned country, while maintaining the infectiousness of current pop. Nevertheless, it has received extremely modest attention at country radio. Beyoncé is Black, and a woman, two groups that contemporary Nashville has consistently marginalized and shortchanged. And no amount of built-in celebrity appears to be able to undo that.
What is your reaction to this?
Tell us in the comments, then read this article in which journalists from the Style section dissect the album’s cover, or this “critic’s notebook” piece about Beyoncé’s relationship with country music.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
