Since Super Bowl Sunday and the release of Beyoncé’s country-inspired track “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the music world has been in nonstop chatter.
From the radio side of the talk, with the single not being serviced to country stations, to the track now on the country charts, people love it or hate it with few in the middle.
J.R. Carroll recently took to Twitter, noting that it’s like the ‘Applebees Song’ but from a more loved artist, which led to quite the conversation.
While Carroll was not taking a jab at Walker Hayes and his song “Fancy Like,” many felt he was. But his point was that the genre has a spectrum now, and just because it might not fit in your ‘box’ of country music does not mean it won’t fit in someone else’s.
Another country music big name has also chimed in on the matter, welcoming the crossover. During the People’s Choice Award, Grammy Award winner Lainey Wilson spoke to Extra TV about the song, giving her take.
“I love it. The more, the merrier. I’m like, again, it’s about that storytelling. It’s just about making people feel at home… and everybody wants to feel at home.”
Lainey also said that critics are quick to judge from behind a keyboard:
“Hey, you know what? Everybody is going to have something to say about everything. I bet you wouldn’t say it to her face. I love Beyoncé.”
I am sure we will continue to hear from other artists as time goes on and as the release of the album, Renaissance: Act II, nears its release date. The R&B superstar made it sound as though the whole album would be country-inspired, but with “Texas Hold ‘Em” (in my opinion) being the only track out of the two singles released on Super Bowl Sunday with a ‘twang,’ I am unsure what the rest of the project holds.
If there is anything the release of “Texas Hold ‘Em” has emphasized, it is that there are different strokes for different folks. It might not be my flavor of country, but that doesn’t mean it’s not someone else’s.
