Its hard to fully review an album only released days ago during a major holiday weekend, but I can confidently acknowledge being blown away by Cowboy Carter, which has been on repeat, of course.

Beyonc accomplished her goal of reclaiming a genre of music that Black people played a pivotal role in creating and bending it to her will and for that, Cowboy Carter is a resounding success.

It is very much the gumbo of sounds she describes in the albums press release. You hear country, soul, funk, opera and so on. The influences range from Sly and the Family Stone to Burt Bacharach. I dont know how she decided to mix samples from The Beach Boys with Nancy Sinatra on Ya Ya or tap Post Malone for a country-leaning duet on Leviis Jeans. Her duet with Miley Cyrus on II Most Wanted is so stunning, and almost makes me want to totally forgive and forget Billy Rays daughters twerk era.

Beyonc sounds amazing throughout the album, and I am happy she channeled the layering reminiscent of Destinys Child production. I continue to be so fascinated by her ability to blend and create something that still manages to sound like her.

True to her word, this isnt a country album, it is a Beyonc album.

Despite my praise for Cowboy Carter, some of Beyoncs detractors are undervaluing the value of Beyonc to directly confront the racism of the country music industry. No artist is beyond reproach, but when it comes to recent criticism about Beyonc and her foray into country-ish music, some critiques register as goofy while others are more reflective of some folks inability to get past their own ideas of who they think she should be and what music she can make.

In the days leading to the release of Cowboy Carter, Beyonc took to Instagram to reveal the motivations behind what had been speculated to be her first country music album.

This album has been over five years in the making, she wrote in her caption. 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 wasnt.

Everyone immediately knew she was referring to: her 2016 appearance at the Country Music Association Awards where she performed a rendition of Daddy Lessons with The Chicks.