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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityCultureBeyoncé’s Cowboy Carter: The verdict – is it Yeehaw or No Ma’am?Published1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Beyonce / InstagramBy Mark SavageMusic correspondent, BBC NewsWhen Beyoncé turned up to the Grammys in a cowboy hat, we should have known that something was afoot.A week later, she officially announced her country era – dropping two surprise singles in the middle of the Super Bowl.One of them, the banjo-riffic Texas Hold ‘Em, became the star’s biggest hit in years. In the UK, it was number one for four weeks – her longest-ever spell at the top.Nashville reacted with a shrug. Country radio only gave the song modest airplay, even as millions of streams propelled it to the top of Billboard’s country chart.This was pretty much what Beyoncé expected. As a Texan, country music is her birth right but, in an Instagram post last week, she wrote that her new album, Cowboy Carter, was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed”.This was likely a reference to her appearance at the 2016 Country Music Awards, where she performed her song Daddy Lessons with The Chicks (then known as the Dixie Chicks).Both performers were deemed unwelcome – The Chicks had faced a backlash in the US after criticising former President George W Bush during the Iraq War; while Beyoncé’s vocal support of Black Lives Matter had upset many on the American right. Their performance faced a barrage of criticism – and racism – online. Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks, later told the New York Times that the way Beyoncé was treated after the show was “disgusting.”In her Instagram post, Beyoncé said the experience prompted her to take “a deeper dive into the history of country”. But, she warned: “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album.”Too right, it is. Image source, Beyonce / ParkwoodOver 27 interlocking songs and interludes, Cowboy Carter throws a lasso around country’s sonic signifiers, and spins them into something unique: Appalachian fiddles are spliced with pop melodies, and lap steel guitars underscore rap verses with speaker-crushing sub bass. That the genres overlap so seamlessly is evidence of Beyoncé’s technical mastery, but also of her central thesis: That Nashville’s marginalisation of outsiders, and black women in particular, weakens the music in the long run.Beyoncé praised for ‘impressive’ country albumBeyoncé’s always been a country music fan, says dadBlack country singers: ‘We’re tolerated, not celebrated’To emphasise the point, Beyoncé enlists a host of artists who’ve straddled the worlds of pop and country, including Dolly Parton, Willy Nelson, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. And in one interlude, she juxtaposes the African-American spirituals that inspired country music (the pacifist anthem Down By The Riverside) with swing fiddle tunes that inspired black pioneers of rock and roll (Chuck Berry’s Maybellene, based on the traditional American song Ida Red).”Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?” asks Linda Martell, the first black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, on a track called Spaghetti. “In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined.”‘Hussy with the good hair’If this all sounds dry and academic, don’t be put off. Cowboy Carter is a blast, with hooky, memorable songs that are theatrical, mournful, playful, lovestruck, whimsical and carnal – often at the same time.It opens with an acknowledgement that Beyoncé’s recent albums have become socio-political talking points, while asking fans to drown out the chatter. “There’s a lot of talking going on, while I sing my song,” she sings over a psychedelic wash of sitar. “Can you hear me? Do you hear me.”The dramatic opener segues into a faithful cover of The Beatles’ Blackbird – chosen not just for its timeless melody, but for its inspiration: A group of nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, who faced discrimination after enrolling in an all-white high school in Arkansas, 1957.It’s never stated explicitly, but the parallels between their struggle and the segregation of country music are duly noted. Image source, Beyonce / InstagramElsewhere, Protector is a gentle, touching ode to motherhood, introduced by a voice note of Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi pleading, “Mum can I hear the lullaby please?”Daughter is much darker – a visceral account of a bathroom stall fight, where Beyoncé leaves another woman “black and blue” on the “filthy floors”. “If you cross me, I’m just like my father / I am colder than Titanic water,” she warns, before the song cedes way to the 18th Century aria, Caro Mio Ben.Intriguingly, this song follows a cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene – a country blockbuster inspired by a real-life brush with infidelity. Parton herself introduces the track, noting the parallels between her lyrics and “that hussy with the good hair” – a reference to Beyoncé’s 2016 song Sorry, in which she called out “Becky with the good hair” as the (alleged) mistress of her husband, Jay-Z.”No matter the genre, heartache hits the same,” Parton observes.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beyoncé attended the 2024 Grammys with her husband, Jay-Z, who was being honoured with a lifetime achievement awardOther highlights include the luscious, understated spiritual Just For Fun; and YaYa, a goodtime hoedown that somehow interpolates both the Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations and Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.The use of acoustic instruments (the album is predominantly scored by acoustic guitar, bass and piano) gives the album a more organic, accessible feel than Beyonce’s more recent records. And while Beyoncé delivers all the obvious country signifiers – rhinestones and whiskey, coyotes and snakes, denim and John Wayne – she also finds room for her usual preoccupations: Love, sex, and the general awesomeness of Beyoncé herself. (Your mileage with those more self-congratulatory lyrics will vary depending on your pre-existing views on Beyoncé.)She even gets a dig in at the Grammys, where she’s consistently been overlooked in the major categories, despite becoming one of the defining artists of her generation.”Album of the year, I ain’t win, I ain’t stung by them,” she shrugs on the magnificently-titled Sweet ★ Honey ★ Buckiin’, before promising to “come back” and shake up the industry all over again.Image source, Beyonce / ParkwoodThis new album is part of that plan, an immaculate country-pop record that proves her adaptability and mastery, regardless of genre.It forms the second part of a trilogy that Beyoncé conceived during the Covid-19 lockdown. The first, Renaissance, explored the forgotten black and queer roots of house music. Critics more steeped in the nuances of America’s folk tradition will undoubtedly discover extra layers to Cowboy Carter than this early review can cover.Even the artwork makes that clear. The sleeve shows Beyoncé riding side-saddle on a horse that’s been identified as a Lipizzaner – whose coat turns from black to white over its lifespan. A meta-commentary, perhaps, on the gradual whitewashing of country music.And while those ideas aren’t hard-baked into the lyrics, the very fact that Beyoncé is playing in the country sandbox is the statement: This music should be for everyone, gatekeepers be damned.As she sings in a melody that bookends the album: “Them old ideas are buried here. Amen.”Related TopicsCountry musicBeyoncéMusicMore on this storyBeyoncé praised for ‘impressive’ country albumPublished21 hours agoBeyoncé’s Renaissance tour: Intergalactic explosion of funPublished30 May 2023Beyoncé’s always been a country music fan, says dadPublished21 FebruaryRadio plays Beyoncé after country music outcryPublished15 FebruaryTop StoriesJeffrey Donaldson: From the White House to Antrim police stationPublished6 hours agoDutch nightclub hostage siege ends with man heldPublished54 minutes agoStabbed Iranian TV host’s station ‘faced threats’Published4 hours agoFeaturesWhy are electric car fires so hard to deal with?Seven bills going up and one going down in April’I drove 14 hours to see a Banksy for 10 minutes’AI photos show people with cancer their lost futureEwan McGregor ‘turned into his grandad’ in new roleThe Papers: DUP leader charged and ‘hefty’ water bill riseThe football pitch that doubles as an execution groundCanada’s drug experiment hits strong oppositionA view from inside ship that hit Baltimore bridge. 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[ad_1] The Texan star’s eighth album adds a country twang to her immaculate blend of pop and hip-hop.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaIsraeli government spokesman Eylon Levy reportedly suspendedPublished18 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, Getty ImagesBy David GrittenBBC NewsIsrael’s English-language government spokesman Eylon Levy has been suspended, Israeli media reports say.The Israeli prime minister’s office has not given a reason, according to the reports. But there is speculation that it is linked to an online row with the UK foreign secretary, Lord Cameron.Mr Levy has so far not commented.On 8 March, he wrote a now-deleted post on X responding to another one from Lord Cameron that urged Israel “to allow more [aid] trucks into Gaza”.”I hope you are also aware there are NO limits on the entry of food, water, medicine, or shelter equipment into Gaza, and in fact the crossings have EXCESS capacity,” Mr Levy replied.”Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we’ll get them in,” he added, referring to an Israeli-controlled border crossing.Two days earlier, he wrote another post criticising a statement issued by Lord Cameron after a meeting with an Israeli minister in London. This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on TwitterThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Skip twitter post by Eylon LevyAllow Twitter content?This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.Accept and continueThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.End of twitter post by Eylon LevyIsrael’s Channel 12 News reported on Tuesday that Mr Levy was suspended shortly after the UK Foreign Office wrote to Israel’s foreign ministry to express its “surprise” and seek clarification on whether Mr Levy’s posts represented the Israeli government’s official position.The Financial Times cited a person familiar with the matter as characterising the British query as: “Is this the way allies speak to each other?” On Wednesday, Israeli media said the prime minister’s office had confirmed that Mr Levy was suspended, but that it had not provided further details. There was no immediate response from Mr Levy. But he described himself as an Israeli government spokesman in several posts on X on Tuesday.Mr Levy, who is in his 30s, was born in the UK and emigrated to Israel in 2014. He served in Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees policy for the Palestinian territories, worked as a TV news anchor and was most recently international media adviser to President Isaac Herzog.He rose to international prominence after becoming a government spokesperson following Hamas’s 7 October attacks on Israel and the start of the war in Gaza, and frequently being interviewed by English-language broadcasters, including the BBC.On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made critical remarks about Israel’s English-language public diplomacy during a closed-door meeting with two parliamentary committees on Tuesday.Channel 12 quoted him as saying: “There simply are no people. You are surrounded by people who can’t put two words together [in English].”In response to that report, his office said he “deeply values the work of his team and of the Public Diplomacy Directorate that operates under him”.Related TopicsDavid CameronIsrael-Gaza warIsraelTop StoriesWomen’s state pension payout fight nears endPublished47 minutes agoLive. ‘I missed out on £47,000’: Pension report could recommend compensationLive. Bank of England to announce interest rates decisionFeaturesNew hope for sisters trapped in their bodiesPoland’s ‘Heart of the Garden’ named tree of 2024The new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the LordsThe Papers: Rwanda defeat in Lords and ‘rate cut hope’The ‘nerdy weird’ killer who fooled everyoneAnthony Mackie: We need more fun on our TVsUK start-up to beam 4K video from space stationInside story of a Nigerian ransom negotiatorA museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suingElsewhere on the BBCHow do you create an Oscar-winning soundscape?Johnnie Burn explains how he used audio to re-create the horrors of the HolocaustAttributionSoundsHow can you avoid being scammed by AI?Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong take a deep dive into the world of AI voice clonesAttributionSoundsSuccess in the women’s gameManchester United’s Ella Toone gets candid with Eddie Hearn about fame, football and life in the spotlightAttributionSoundsIs our future underground?The Inquiry investigates the latest developments in underground living for surviving climate changeAttributionSoundsMost Read1Women’s state pension payout fight nears end2New hope for sisters trapped in their bodies3Post Office wanted expert witness to alter report4Newly discovered beetle almost mistaken for bird poo5NHS AI test spots tiny cancers missed by doctors6Rwanda defeat in Lords and ‘rate cut hope’7The new 28-year-old peer who wants to scrap the Lords8The ‘nerdy weird’ killer who fooled everyone9Bank of England expected to hold interest rates10A museum tried reverse misogyny. Now a man is suing](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/14BC/production/_132980350_levy-index-getty.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaGaza aid airdrop: Why delivering food from the air is controversialPublished57 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warImage source, US Central CommandImage caption, The US military said Tuesday’s joint airdrops with Jordan were part of a “sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza”By Luis Barrucho, BBC World Service, and BBC ArabicBBCThe US says it airdropped 36,000 meals into northern Gaza on Tuesday in co-ordination with Jordan – the second such joint mission in recent days. It came a day after the World Health Organization said children were dying of starvation in the north, where an estimated 300,000 Palestinians are living with little food or clean water.But the strategy has sparked considerable discussion, with humanitarian organisations saying it cannot meet the soaring needs.It is also a symbol of the failure of the aid effort on the ground. Aid lorries have been entering the south of Gaza through the Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing during the war between Israel and Hamas. But the north, which was the focus of the first phase of the Israeli ground offensive, has been largely cut off from assistance in recent months. On 20 February, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it was suspending food deliveries to northern Gaza because its first aid convoys in three weeks had endured “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order”, including violent looting. Last Thursday, more than 100 Palestinians were killed as crowds rushed to reach an aid convoy operated by private contractors that was being escorted by Israeli forces west of Gaza City. Palestinian health officials said dozens were killed when Israeli forces opened fire. Israel’s military said most died from either being trampled on or run over by the aid lorries. It said soldiers near the aid convoy had fired towards people who approached them and who they considered a threat.Israel’s military launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas’s attacks on Israel on 7 October, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 253 others were taken hostage. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry says.’Not enough’More than 20 airdrops of aid into Gaza have taken place over the past few weeks in co-ordination with the Israeli military, with France, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt conducting them alongside the US and Jordan. One Gaza resident, Ismail Mokbel, told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline radio – an emergency radio service for the territory set up in response to the conflict – that packages of aid dropped on Friday consisted of some legumes and a few women’s health essentials.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Desperate Palestinians have been surrounding convoys of lorries bringing food aid into northern GazaAnother man, Abu Youssef, said he was not able to get some aid that was dropped near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.”Suddenly, when we were looking up into the sky, we saw aid parachutes. So we remained in the place [where we were] until the aid landed about 500 metres away from us. There were many people, but the aid was little, and so we could not get anything.”Mr Mokbel said not enough aid was dropped to meet the basic needs of the large number of people in the area. “Thousands of citizens saw the aid falling on them… And when hundreds or thousands wait in such areas, only around 10 to 20 people get things, while the others go back with nothing. Unfortunately, this method of dropping through air is not the most suitable way to transport aid to the north district of Gaza,” he added.”Gaza needs a land and water pathway to deliver the aid instead of [doing it in] such a manner, which doesn’t meet the needs of all citizens.” ‘Expensive and haphazard’Initially employed during World War Two to supply isolated troops on the ground, airdrops have evolved into a valuable tool for delivering humanitarian aid, with the UN first using them in 1973.However, they are considered a “last resort”, only to be used “when more effective options fail”, as the WFP said in a 2021 report. South Sudan is the last place where the WFP carried out airdrops.”Airdrops are expensive, haphazard and usually lead to the wrong people getting the aid,” Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a former UN aid chief, told the BBC after returning from a recent three-day visit to Gaza. Airdrops are seven times more expensive compared to ground-delivered aid due to costs related to aircraft, fuel and personnel, says the WFP. In addition to that, only relatively small quantities can be delivered with each flight, in comparison to what a convoy of lorries can bring in, and significant ground co-ordination is required within the delivery zone, says the WFP. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: US parachutes humanitarian aid into GazaThe International Committee of the Red Cross also stresses the importance of controlling distribution to prevent people from risking their lives by consuming inappropriate or unsafe items.”Delivering sudden and unsupervised types of food to people who are malnourished or even starving can pose serious risks to life. These risks need to be weighed against delivering nothing by air, or the delay a ground distribution may incur,” the organisation warned in a 2016 report published when aid was being airdropped into Syria during the country’s civil war. Airdrops can be carried out from different altitudes, ranging from about 300m to 5,600m (985-18,370ft) in conflict zones, and so ensuring robust packaging is crucial to make sure parcels can endure impact with the ground, the WFP adds.According to the agency, drop zones should ideally be large, open areas no smaller than a football field, which is why deliveries have often been aimed at Gaza’s coastline.However, this has sometimes resulted in aid falling into the sea or being carried by the wind into Israel, according to local accounts. ‘US should pressure Israel’Gaza resident Samir Abo Sabha told BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline radio that he believed the US should do more and put pressure on its ally Israel for a ceasefire.”As a citizen of Gaza, this stuff is of no use,” he said. “What we want [is] America to pressure Israel into a ceasefire and to stop giving Israel weapons and missiles.”Some aid workers have echoed this sentiment.Last week, Scott Paul of Oxfam America wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services.”Melanie Ward of Medical Aid for Palestinians said the US, UK and others should “ensure that Israel immediately opens all crossings into Gaza for aid and aid workers to assist those in need”.But as the crisis deepens, others argued that food must be delivered by any means necessary.”We need to bring food into Gaza any way we can. We should be bringing it by the sea,” José Andrés, a chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, which has been sending food to Gaza, told ABC News.”I don’t think we need to be criticising that Jordan, America are doing airdrops. If anything, we should be applauding any initiative that brings food into Gaza.”President Biden has vowed that the US will “redouble our efforts to open a maritime corridor, and expand deliveries by land” – but those efforts have not yet translated into reality on the ground.Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday that they were facilitating aid convoys and airdrops to northern Gaza “because we want humanitarian aid to reach Gazan civilians in need”.”We will continue expanding our humanitarian efforts to the civilian population in Gaza while we fulfil our goals of freeing our hostages from Hamas and freeing Gaza from Hamas,” he added.Edited by Alexandra FouchéRelated TopicsIsrael & the PalestiniansIsrael-Gaza warIsraelPalestinian territoriesGazaJordanUnited StatesHumanitarian aidMore on this storyChildren starving to death in northern Gaza – WHOPublished16 hours agoTop StoriesHunt expected to cut National Insurance tax by 2pPublished43 minutes agoBirmingham City Council signs off ‘devastating’ cutsPublished17 minutes agoArmy to remove Kate appearance claim from websitePublished7 minutes agoFeaturesWhy food airdrops into Gaza are controversialFour things to watch as 15 US states vote on Super TuesdayDo councils spend too much on diversity schemes?Tax, childcare, vapes: What could be in the Budget?Moment astronauts hug as they arrive at space station. VideoMoment astronauts hug as they arrive at space stationThe sound that signalled death for IRA ‘informers’In Ukraine, the show must go on – even undergroundInside the Gaza camp for widows and childrenWatch: Chinese boats fire water at a Philippine vessel. VideoWatch: Chinese boats fire water at a Philippine vesselElsewhere on the BBCCan you beat the energy price cut?Tune in to Martin’s advice on the latest energy cuts, train crises and money tipsAttributionSoundsThe ultimate bromanceWatch the masters of satire Peter Cook and Dudley Moore with a look back through the archivesAttributioniPlayerAgeing, nicknames and cinema shoutingComedian Frank Skinner dishes out laughs and wisdom in this latest interviewAttributionSoundsWill this elite boarding school fit around them?Five black inner-city teens must leave their old worlds behind…AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Birmingham City Council signs off ‘devastating’ cuts2Army to remove Kate appearance claim from website3Woman yanked into air by shop shutters finds fame4Hunt expected to cut National Insurance tax by 2p5German patient vaccinated against Covid 217 times6Dan Wootton departs GB News after Ofcom ruling7US pilot over alcohol limit before Edinburgh flight8Tesco latest supermarket to increase staff pay9Talk TV to be taken off air and moved online10Firth’s Pride and Prejudice shirt fetches £25,000](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/54FA/production/_132845712_mediaitem132845711.jpg)
