The genius of Cowboy Carter is Beyoncé’s accent – a musicologist explains

By Conor Caldwell, Assistant Professor in Irish Traditional Music, University of Limerick

Cowboy Carter, the latest album from Beyoncé, has sparked widespread debate about the genre of “country music”. As a musicologist, I am fascinated with the construction of genres. Often the boundaries that we create between one type of music and another are opaque and do not stand up to much scrutiny. Music is routinely transferred from one social context to another, taking on new meaning in this process.

For example, in my own genre of Irish traditional music, a performer may learn a piece of western art music…

Read complete article

~	Delays in western aid have put Ukraine in a perilous position

~	Why do American rappers see Drake as not Black enough?

~	Cancer drug pollution is a growing global concern

~	Out with the old: Blue- and white- collar job labels aren’t cutting it anymore

~	Rights expert condemns death of Palestinian doctor in Israeli custody, urges independent inquiry

~	Türkiye: Kurdish Politicians Convicted in Unjust Mass Trial

~	FIFA: Publish Robust Rights Framework for 2026 World Cup

~	Japan: Press Saudi Arabia on Human Rights

~	How Black teachers lost when civil rights won in Brown v. Board

~	At the heart of the budget is the sad truth the economy is weak. That’s one reason inflation will fall