Op-Ed: Cowboy’s Sunshine: a review of Beyoncé and Ariana Grande’s albums
Authored by Imani Makasa
May God help any artist who decided to release their albums this March. With both Ariana Grande and Beyoncé releasing their albums in that same month, there was no room for any other artist to capture attention. Both came into their new era from a whole new perspective and much to answer for.
News of Grande’s divorce settlement broke 6 months prior to the release of the album. Rumors of her having an affair with Ethan Slater began to arise even before then. Many were repelled by Grande for getting involved with a married man. Eternal Sunshine was essentially her response to everything that occurred in her life over the past year and all the assumptions made about her during that time.
Beyoncé was facing a different kind of pushback leading up to the release of her Cowboy Carter album. Despite the origins of country music being rooted in African American culture—some examples include instruments like the banjo (an instrument that is sonically associated with country music to this day) being brought over to America from West Africa through the trans-Atlantic slave trade—many view country music as a very “white” genre. Even though no genre should ever be gatekept from anyone, it is a notoriously hard industry to break into for Black artists. Beyoncé created Cowboy Carter as a way to reclaim a genre of music that was denied to so many Black artists before her.
Now that the history is out of the way, it is time for the fun, juicy part: the music. Starting off with Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, I could honestly say that this is one of Grande’s best-produced albums, with the help of Max Martin’s keen ear for making pop chart toppers. Most of the songs on the album were sonically interesting and hauntingly melancholy. Songs like “Bye,” “Don’t Wanna Break up Again,” “True Story,” “We Can’t Be Friends,” “I Wish I Hated You,” and “Imperfect for You” all go into detail on why her and her ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, broke up, while encapsulating her feelings surrounding the experience. However, songs like “Supernatural,” “The Boy is Mine,” and “Yes, And?” focus on her blossoming new relationship with Ethan Slater and respond to the public’s reaction to scandal overshadowing the relationship.
Personally, my favorite tracks on the album are “Bye, Supernatural,” “True Story,” and “We Can’t Be Friends.” These songs stuck out to me due to their surprisingly memorable melodies and lyrics, coupled with great instrumentation. I was not a fan of “Eternal Sunshine,” “The Boy is Mine,” or “Yes, And?.” The first, despite being pretty, was ultimately boring. The second, while catchy, had lyrics that were hard to look past, knowing that Ethan Slater allegedly “abandoned his wife and child” for a relationship with Grande. Finally, the last song, which was her lead single, was probably the weakest track on the album and tried to hide its shortcomings behind good production.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter was a pretty long album, with 27 tracks. I do not think it needed to be as long as it was—the nine songs I did not like could have been cut and my enjoyment of the album would have increased. It had some amazing moments, and I commend Beyoncé for experimenting with a genre that I do not always enjoy and making some good tracks that I enjoyed listening to. There were moments when I did not agree with the direction, but I was happy with the effort. Songs like “American Requiem” are essential to understanding how she approached creating this album. Many of her songs highlight how Black people contributed to the creation of the country genre despite now being left out of it decades later.
My favorite tracks on the album were “American Requiem,” “Blackbird,” “Most Wanted,” “Ya Ya,” and “Amen.” Many of these songs were heightened with the inclusion of many Black country artists such as Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts. I really disliked “Spaghetti,” “Jolene,” “Alligator Tears,” and “Sweet Honey Buckin’” due to either being sonically boring or disjointed.
The strengths of Grande’s album came down to her atmospheric melodies, descriptive lyrics, and catchy hooks. Beyoncé’s album was propelled by her harmonies, dynamics, and her willingness to experiment with genre. Overall, both albums were entertaining to listen to, and I have definitely added a few to my personal playlists. When the IAA community was asked which album they preferred; 62% said Cowboy Carter, while 38% said Eternal Sunshine. While I did enjoy Ariana Grande’s album more, I do have to admit that Beyoncé's album was altogether more ambitious and successful in its execution.