Texas hold up! Beyoncé announces ‘Cowboy Carter’ album — but will she ride with Dolly?
Beyoncé rides again.
On Tuesday, the hottest cowgirl in the game announced that “Cowboy Carter” would be the title of the country-themed “Act II” of her “Renaissance” trilogy — in a nod to her married name as the wife of Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
Anticipation has been building to Country Bey’s album-length arrival after she dropped the twangy twosome of “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages” on Super Bowl night Feb. 11.
Since then, “Texas Hold ’Em” — a bluegrassy bop that has sparked many a two-stepping TikTok — made Beyoncé the first black woman to hit No. 1 on the country chart.
And then, for good measure, Queen B went on to become the first African-American woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart with a country song.
Beyoncé, 42, made her announcement with a social media post featuring a pic of a red, white and blue sash emblazoned with the album title draped over a saddle.
But upon further inspection, when you go to Beyoncé’s website to preorder the LP — and other “Cowboy Carter” merchandise — that doesn’t appear to be the album cover.
There has been much speculation about what special guests Beyoncé might have on her eighth solo studio LP — and one name that keeps coming up is Dolly Parton.
The Queen of Country herself hinted that Bey at least covered one of her beloved classics.
“Well, I think she has!” Parton, 78, told Knox News. “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene,’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about.
“I love her!” she continued. “She’s a beautiful girl and a great singer.”
Whether or not this “Jolene” cover actually appears on “Cowboy Cater,” it’s clear that Dolly and Beyoncé will always love each other.
“We’ve kind of sent messages back and forth through the years,” said Parton.
“And she and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great.”
