A lot has already been said about Beyoncé, in particular, her new album “Cowboy Carter.” An impressive feat, not only because this is Queen Bey. But a good part of it is the controversy of Beyoncé attempting to reinvent herself as a country music act.

So, did Beyoncé go all-country? We dive into this massive 27-track album. Starting with “American Requiem,” which kicks off like a church hymn and eventually morphs into a mid-tempo power ballad, with mostly Beyoncé sitting on top of the groove. This is a manifesto being made known as Beyoncé goes: “There’s a lot of chatter in here / but let me make myself clear / can you hear me? Do you feel me? / Can we stand for something? / Now is the time to face the wind.” It’s a statement in the face of Beyoncé and other Black country artists feeling unwelcome in a music style they were told wasn’t for them.

And as for making a statement, Beyoncé makes a solid one with a new take on The Beatles classic “Blackbird.” Written by Paul McCartney back in 1968 for the Civil Rights movement, Bey’s timely cover of it alongside other Black country music female artists that includes Tanner Adell, Britney Spencer, Tierra Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts (who all provide sweet harmonies) is a winning move and makes sense in a highly politicized climate. One of the main issues is that Black music acts can’t be in country music. And here’s Beyoncé lending her proverbial weight to the issue.

Elsewhere, we see Country music legends lending their heavyweight names and doing cameos, like on segue track “Smoke Hour” with Willie Nelson providing an intro (“sit back, inhale, and go to that good place where your mind likes to wander off to, and if you don’t want to go, go find yourself a jukebox…”) before Bey kicks off into the banjo boogie of “Texas Hold ‘Em.” And there’s Dolly Parton (“Hey miss Honey Bey, this is Dolly P.”) doing the intro to that latter’s signature hit “Jolene” as Beyoncé ever so slightly tweaks the lyrics to fit the story of a woman telling another to never get in between her and her man.

Like a country music song, “Cowboy Carter” is chock full of stories. One of them is “Daughters” -- a woman’s struggle with infidelity set in Spaghetti Western-inspired theme music. In the middle, Beyoncé inserts an Italian opera called “Caro Mio Ben” to add to the drama. “Alligator Tears” is about vulnerability and a metaphor for relationship manipulation. One of the main tracks that has country music at its heart is “Protector” -- a beautiful ballad about a mother’s love for her child (dedicated to Bey’s daughter Rumi Carter) that hits home with Bey’s lullaby-like vocals.

Standouts include the soulful ballad “Just for Fun,” featuring Black country singer Willie Jones, “II Most Wanted,” which features a duet between Miley Cyrus and Bey, and the tuneful “Leviis Jeans,” featuring Post Malone with its pop flavors. Meanwhile, “Spaghettii” reverts to the Hip-Hop milieu with Country-Hip-Hop artist Shaboozey to drive home Beyoncé's point of style crossover and blurring of musical idioms. Also featured here is Linda Martell, a pioneer Black country artist Beyoncé looks up to.   

This early, Beyoncé has already broken streaming records in her first foray into country music. Ultimately, her superstar status puts other Black country artists into the spotlight, hoping that appreciation for these artists will grow. 

Now that’s doing something for country music and then some.