COWBOY CARTER

the take

this album is in many ways a masterpiece. it is a victory lap and a reclamation, it is a manifesto and a massive flex. much of the songwriting is absolutely exquisite, the production is gorgeous, the entire experience so immersive and unexpected. but unlike its predecessor, i think this record suffers a bit from bloat. it is sooooooo long. the number of songs and length make the variety feel more confusing than engaging. it took me a number of listens to figure out which songs i liked, but when each listen is so long and involved it sort of felt like i listened in fragments. this is also why the grammys situation pisses me off when renaissance was an obvious and deserving AOTY and then cowboy carter’s victory felt more than an apology than a recognition. like it’s a brilliant album but let’s be real faves: riiverdance, tyrant, american requiem