Beyoncé drops 27-song track list for new album "Cowboy Carter"

Beyoncé dropped the track list Wednesday for her hotly anticipated country album, "Cowboy Carter," in a vintage-inspired social media post, prompting a flurry of excitement and hypotheses among her fans.

Beyoncé's post features a collection of red, white, black and blue-colored graphics and text boxes reminiscent of a printed, old-school concert advertisement. "Cowboy Carter" appears in block lettering along the upper edge of the graphic beside the album's release date, which is Friday, March 29.

Although the pop star revealed the album's title and cover art last week, Wednesday's teaser included what appeared to be an extended name for the record: "Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit."

With 27 titles listed — assuming they're all tracks — the album will be Beyoncé's longest by far.

Beyoncé announced the album during the 2024 Super Bowl, describing it as "act ii" of the three-act project that began with her critically acclaimed "Renaissance" album, which she released in 2022.

The announcement was accompanied by the release of two singles — "16 Carriages" and the smash hit "Texas Hold 'Em," which catapulted to the top of Billboard's country music chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to score a No. 1 country hit. The song ultimately nabbed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, too.

Both "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" are included on the apparent track list, and they appear among several intriguing breadcrumbs. The first is "Jolene," the classic hit by country music legend Dolly Parton that Parton had hinted might appear on the new album.

There also appears to be a track called "Dolly P," as well as a potential collaboration with Willie Nelson, another country icon, on a song called "Smoke Hour." Other titles include "Tyrant," "Desert Eagle" and "Amen." There's also a reference to Linda Martell, who is considered to be the first Black woman to have found commercial success in the country music genre.

"This album has been over five years in the making," Beyoncé wrote on Instagram last week, marking the 10-day countdown to the album's release.

"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 wasn't," she wrote, hinting at her appearance at the 2016 Country Music Awards. "act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."

"I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect," Beyoncé added, before ending her message with, "This ain't a Country album. This is a "Beyoncé" album."

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"CBS Evening News" headlines for Friday, March 29, 2024

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