Nathan Carter on Cowboy Carter: ‘I’m afraid it’s just not my cup of tea’
NATHAN Carter has said Beyoncé will need more than ‘a banjo in the background’ to be called a country singer.
Queen Bey’s eighth solo album Cowboy Carter purports to be a country record – and has been met with glowing acclaim from reviewers.
But Irish country star Nathan Carter (Beyoncé’s namesake thanks to her marriage to Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter) said the album isn’t his ‘cup of tea’ and shouldn’t be in the country section at all.
Asked about the new album on RTÉ’s CountryWide yesterday, Carter said: ‘I’ve got to be totally honest and say it wouldn’t be my cup of tea’ – though he added that it was a good thing that the record is bringing attention to country music.
And he expressed particular distaste for Beyoncé’s rework of the Dolly Parton classic Jolene – which he called ‘perfect in every way’.
The Destiny’s Child founder changes the lyrics substantially on her version – most menacingly swapping ‘begging’ for ‘warning’ – and adds a new middle eight.
Dolly Parton is said to have approved of the Beyoncé version.
‘I don’t know why you would change it to be honest,’ said Carter – who knew better than to mess with the original lyrics on his biggest hit, a cover of Bob Dylan’s Wagon Wheel.
‘I can understand why Dolly would obviously be happy with Beyoncé doing whatever she wants to it, because it’s great business wise, clearly, and it’s drawing attention to Dolly’s back catalogue now as well,’ he said.
The 33-year-old singer added: ‘I don’t know if you can call [the album] country at all. Its more rap influenced and pop driven. But obviously there’s a banjo in the background.’
Carter conceded there is a wide range of styles in country now and that he was ‘sounding very old fashioned’, but said he prefers ‘the older stuff’.
And he said Beyoncé is ‘entitled to do whatever she wants country wise, because she is from Texas, the capital of country music really’, adding it was ‘unbelievable’ she had become the first black woman to top the country charts.