Beyoncé, Texas Hold ‘Em | Song Review 🎵

Beyoncé superbly showcases her country/western chops on “Texas Hold ‘Em,” one of two advance singles from her 2024 LP, Act II.

“This ain’t Texas (Woo) / Ain’t no hold ‘em (Hey) / So lay your cards down, down, down, down.” Ah, let Act II commence! The return of Beyoncé comes sooner than later.  Following Renaissance in July 2022, Act II arrives less than two years later. In advance of Act II, the Grammy-winning superstar released two singles: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”. The common thread between both? Country/western music, baby! On “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Queen Bey comes through strong! She penned the record alongside Lowell, bülow, Raphael Saadiq, Nathan Ferraro, and Killah B.  She produced it alongside Killah B and Ferraro.

The country flavor is apparent from the onset.  It’s not a shocking turn however, as “Daddy Lessons” (Lemonade) showed off Bey’s country chops. As always, the voice is top-notch. She exhibits ample personality as she references the card game in the memorable chorus.  Besides her fabulous lead vocals, the background vocals are sweet too! Oh, the harmonies! Less explicit than some of her recent songs, Beyoncé still musters up profanity, whether it’s “There’s a tornado / In my city / Hit the basement / That shit ain’t pretty” (verse one) or “Don’t be a bitch, come take it to the floor now / And I’ll be damned if I cannot dance with you (chorus).” A fair share of country musicians swear to some extent, some even expanding the palette in the 2020s. Bey never overdoes it, however.  Overall, the four-minute-long “Texas Hold ‘Em” which features banjo (!), is a pleasure to listen to, reminding us of the versatility of Queen Bey, as well as the fact that black artists can sing and excel at country music.  

Beyoncé // “Texas Hold ‘Em” // Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia // 2.11.24

[📷: Brent Faulkner/The Musical Hype; Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]