With the new “Act 2: Cowboy Carter” album arriving just around the corner, Beyoncé has revealed the tracklist for the album ahead of the March 29 release date.
The singer took to Instagram to announce the final tracklist. Fans saw the rumored ‘Jolene’ cover indeed on the list, which Dolly Parton previously mentioned may appear on the second installment.
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There is also a track titled “The Linda Martell Show,” a reference to one of the first Black commercially successful artists in country and the first to play the Opry.
It is still unclear if “Dolly P” and “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson” will include two other country stars on the record, but many still hope.
Previous reports noted that Travis Scott may make a cameo on one of the songs, though fans will have to wait until tomorrow to see the final lineup.
Beyoncé kicked up her new era in February, when she surprise-dropped a pair of singles—“Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”—during the Super Bowl. “Act 2: Cowboy Carter” is the long-awaited follow-up to 2022’s “Renaissance,” which the singer initially revealed would be a three-part project. While the first leaned heavily on club and dance music, “Act 2” is expected to be a country album, as Beyoncé herself explained that she was inspired to dig into the genre after an incident where she did not feel “welcomed.”
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Many assumed this was a reference to the 2016 performance at the Country Music Association Awards, where the star performed with the Dixie Chicks, known as that stage name at the time. The appearance caused a lot of fans in the country genre to show displeasure that Queen B had a prominent spot at the show.
In a long note posted on Instagram, Beyoncé explained that this incident inspired her to study the origins of country music. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” she said. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”
Work on “Act 2” began five years ago, and in addition to collaborations with Raphael Saadiq, Robert Randolph and Rhiannon Giddens, she has more surprises in store for the album.
