Mrs. Knowles-Carter has decided to do a country album, and I think I want to hear what she has in mind.
…And these, at least, are not half bad. I’ll need to listen to them a few times, get their measure. …Look, you all know I have eclectic tastes. This is not new information.
I think I’m going to need a jigger or two of something strong before I listen to those.
For anesthetic purposes.
That was a good deal more interesting than I expected it to be.
That said, putting a banjo and a flat-picked guitar into the instrumentation, and referencing Texas does NOT make a song Country.
(Seriously, setting that expectation almost had me slamming the “stop” button in under 30 seconds. At that point, I thought it would be very baaaad Country.)
It’s very recognizably Motown, with a heavy Southern Gospel influence.
Once it gets its groove going, it’s actually pretty catchy.