The “Cowboy Carter” album cover.

Beyoncé is here for country music

Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter,” which explores and tests the boundaries of country music, is an extension of her exploration of how Black creativity fuels all corners of popular music.

But Beyoncé is Black, and a woman, two groups that the contemporary country music industry has consistently marginalized and shortchanged. No amount of built-in celebrity appears likely to undo that, our critic Jon Caramanica writes. But whether or not the industry behind the music welcomes Beyoncé is irrelevant. She’s embracing the music as art and inspiration, not the industry, he wrote.

Continue