By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN —There is enormous buzz, discussion and some controversy over the reaction to a pair of singles from the upcoming new Beyonce album. Though the full release won’t be available until March 29, the two songs that were issued via her website and in a Verizon ad, as well as on the Tidal streaming service, are “Texas Hold ‘Em: and “16 Carriages.” This is the second part of her celebrated 2022 “Renaissance” album, which has long been rumored to be a trilogy. Videos posted on her website and on Instagram featured the tease “Act II” along with the date of March 29.
The video certainly offers a country vibe. It begins showing the license plate of a car taking off down a dirt road with the license plate “HOLD’EM.” Several songs play as if someone is flipping through country music stations on the radio, including a yodeling song and Chuck Berry’s “Maybelline.” It switches to a country-tinged song by Beyoncé, with her singing, “Say Texas, ain’t no hold ’em, lay your cards down down down down.” It also features a billboard with an image of Beyoncé waving as several men ogle it.
A wave of commentaries, articles, online posts, etc. have resulted, many of them plowing over the familiar ground regarding multiple topics. These include what is and isn’t country, the roots of country, the hostility of sectors of the country audience towards Black artists and fans, country radio’s historical reluctance to embrace songs issued by Black women artists and other topics. Beyonce is a native of Houston. One early story that’s already gone viral concerns Oklahoma country station KYKC. According to multiple reports, when a fan requested they play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” general manager Roger Harris replied, writing, “We do not play Beyonce’ on KYKC as we are a country music station.” The response quickly went viral after it was shared on social media last Tuesday, prompting several of her fans to spring into action calling on the station to change its tune.
But later a representative from S.C.O.R.E., the station’s parent company, clarified things to the publication Entertainment Weekly, explaining that Harris “was removed and didn’t know otherwise” that Beyoncé had pivoted to making country music. Harris later told Entertainment Weekly via email that “up until now, she hasn’t been a ‘country artist.’ So we responded to the email in the same way we would have responded to someone requesting a Rolling Stones song on our country station.” Incidentally, Rhiannon Giddens provides banjo support on “Texas Hold ‘Em,” while steel guitarist Robert Randolph plays on “16 Carriages.”
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