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Beyonce Country Project

Then why did ABC title his LP "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music"?

From what I've read, the title came from Ray and his producer Sid Feller, and the label approved. Ray had full creative control of his music under the terms of his contract. As far as I know, ABC didn't have a country radio promotion team. They just worked it using the mainstream radio team they had, which was to R&B radio and pop radio. I'm sure some country stations played it, but Billboard doesn't show it as charting country. The success of the first album led to Volume 2 with that same title.

In comparison, the Beyonce record is using the Columbia Nashville promotion team, and they're the ones working it to country radio.
 
From what I've read, the title came from Ray and his producer Sid Feller, and the label approved. Ray had full creative control of his music under the terms of his contract. As far as I know, ABC didn't have a country radio promotion team. They just worked it using the mainstream radio team they had, which was to R&B radio and pop radio. I'm sure some country stations played it, but Billboard doesn't show it as charting country. The success of the first album led to Volume 2 with that same title.
I don't know if I agree that Ray's country songs were country, but they sure sounded good.
In comparison, the Beyonce record is using the Columbia Nashville promotion team, and they're the ones working it to country radio.
Rhiannon Giddens plays banjo.

 
Historically, men have done better than women in the country format.
That may well be true. But there have been plenty of women that have topped the charts and reached iconic status in Country music.
But I can't think of one Black female Country artist that has had more than middling success in the genre, particularly in terms of radio airplay.
 
That may well be true. But there have been plenty of women that have topped the charts and reached iconic status in Country music.
But I can't think of one Black female Country artist that has had more than middling success in the genre, particularly in terms of radio airplay.

It's not easy to get consensus. The south is still the south.
 
It's probably impossible with our always-connected internet saturated world, but it might have gone over better if it was released anonymously as a "new mystery artist." IIRC that was done with Donny Osmond's career-reviving record "Soldier of Love." The single was released to a few select stations and immediately blew up the request lines. Then everyone was surprised to learn that it was the same guy who sang the schmaltzy "Puppy Love."
 
Beyonce is already up to No. 43 in her first week on the MediaBase chart, with a bullet in the 900s. This song seems to be taking off nicely. Scroll to the bottom and see the latest chart.
 
The first skirmishes have broken out on the Facebook group for SiriusXM's The Highway -- the usual, people threatening to cancel their subscriptions -- so it seems that SXM is playing it.

It never fails. Whenever The Highway adds an "outsider" act, artist of color, LGBTQ artist, artist with liberal social/political views, whatever, a certain number of listeners will dredge up SXM's six-month ban on Morgan Wallen back in 2021 as proof that the whole station is run by communists.
Good lord, the faux outrage is tedious.
 
Good lord, the faux outrage is tedious.
It sure is. And every time this happens, it gets harder for me to defend country music -- or being a fan of country music -- to relatives, friends and acquaintances. I've tried to get my sister-in-law to just give a few songs a try -- a little Eric Church, a little Miranda Lambert, a little Cody Johnson, a little Lainey Wilson, a little Chris Stapleton -- but to her, it's all hick, redneck, racist crap, and why would anyone want to hear a single note? Sigh ...
 
I guess not being a fan in general the phrase I’ve got no dog in this fight applies. But regardless of genre, the “purity” crowds are just too much. And great, you’re a fan base f country and don’t like the Beyoncé song, on the song’s merits, cool. But the “I’m taking my ball and going home” tantrums over someone out of the usual assortment being played is just silliness.
 
How much of this jump was because it’s Beyoncé and the outrage drove the numbers. Would this song have moved up the list organically.
 
How much of this jump was because it’s Beyoncé and the outrage drove the numbers. Would this song have moved up the list organically.
Supposedly, Post Malone and Olivia Rodrigo have country or country-influenced projects in the works. Neither is in the same universe as Beyonce in pure star power, so it will be interesting to see if they get singles sent to country radio, too. That may depend on how "Texas Hold 'Em" does, although neither Malone nor Rodrigo has the race factor to deal with.
 
Q: What does Beyonce's 'Texas Hold 'Em' have in common The Beaches 'Blame Brett', currently charting at Alternative?

A: Canadian indie-pop musician Lowell (full name Elizabeth Lowell Boland) is credited as a songwriter on both of them.
 
I just did song analysis on Beyonce's Texas Hold 'Em:

Texas Hold 'Em is being played on Urban, Hot AC, Top 40, and other formats in addition to country.

It's #20 on the Urban chart. It's #27 on the Top 40 chart.

The is a cross-format song similar to Easy On Me by Adele, from the same record label that has Adele.

The Billboard Hot Country chart covers plays of songs identified as country by non-country listeners.

So one should not assume that country fans now listen to Beyonce.
 
I just did song analysis on Beyonce's Texas Hold 'Em:

Texas Hold 'Em is being played on Urban, Hot AC, Top 40, and other formats in addition to country.

It's #20 on the Urban chart. It's #27 on the Top 40 chart.

The is a cross-format song similar to Easy On Me by Adele, from the same record label that has Adele.

The Billboard Hot Country chart covers plays of songs identified as country by non-country listeners.

So one should not assume that country fans now listen to Beyonce.
Most added at country radio by a mile this week. Of course, some of those stations may be burying the spins in evenings and overnights, but I think in a few weeks all but the most traditional-leaning of country stations will be playing "Texas Hold 'Em," the majority of them doing so when people are actually listening.

I'm still not a big fan of this song, but it sounds like nothing else on country, CHR, AC or urban radio, and it's infectious as hell. I can definitely see it as a major cross-format hit. I wonder when Beyonce will be dropping more songs from this latest project, and whether they'll lean in a more conventional country direction than either "Texas Hold 'Em" or "16 Carriages" do.
 
I'm still not a big fan of this song, but it sounds like nothing else on country, CHR, AC or urban radio, and it's infectious as hell. I can definitely see it as a major cross-format hit. I wonder when Beyonce will be dropping more songs from this latest project, and whether they'll lean in a more conventional country direction than either "Texas Hold 'Em" or "16 Carriages" do.

Country music was founded on rhythm-and-blues, a musical style that originated within African-American communities in the 1940s.

Beyonce's record is an homage to that so I would not expect to hear anything more contemporary-sounding from the rest of the album. It will be inspired by the roots of American music -- R&B, gospel, early and mid-century country, maybe even rock & roll.
 


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