Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album called "slick", "immaculate" by critics

As she explained: "This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to the the most creative."

With a feature from Willie Nelson and a cover of Dolly Parton's Jolene, the album marks a change in genre for the artist, who has now become the first Black woman to top the US Hot 100 with a country song.

So, what are the critics saying about Cowboy Carter?

Mark Savage, Music correspondent at the BBC, wrote: "Cowboy Carter throws a lasso around country's sonic signifiers, and spins them into something unique."

He went on to describe the tracks as "theatrical, mournful, playful, lovestruck, whimsical and carnal", and added "[Cowboy Carter is] an immaculate country-pop record that proves [Beyoncé's] adaptability and mastery, regardless of genre."

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Meanwhile, Page Six critic Nicholas Hautman called it "the revival that country music so desperately needed", The Times described the record as "a slick and starry western epic", and the Guardian wrote: "Cowboy Carter still proves Beyoncé is impressively capable of doing whatever she wants."

On X (recently rebranded as Twitter), fans seemed equally as impressed, with one member of the Beyhive writing: "She said this ain't a country album it's a Beyoncé album and she indeed did not disappoint."

Another fan called the album "A hit. 10/10" and a third wrote, "this is unlike anything she's ever done. it's better".

Cowboy Carter is made up of 27 tracks, and features the likes of Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Linda Martell, Willie Jones and Willie Nelson.

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