An attendance point system is an absence policy that penalizes employees with points every time they are late or absent for a shift. Accruing a certain number of these points results in disciplinary action, and with enough points, termination.
Non-compliance with any of these acts can result in some serious consequences. Back in 2011, the EEOC reached a $20 million settlement against Verizon for denying reasonable accommodations to hundreds of employees.
Assigning and keeping track of points can get pretty overwhelming when done by hand, especially if you are operating a company with over 20 employees. Luckily, there is a way around all this manual work.
As the Beyhive clamored frantically to discover what, exactly, their queen was teasing, the answer soon became clear as the superstar unveiled two new tracks titled "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and "16 CARRIAGES."
But that's not all! The two new songs not only follow Beyonc's seventh album, Renaissance, and her mega-successful concert tour of the same name, but also build on the single "MY HOUSE" from last year. The dual ditties appear to be components of a larger project, potentially marking the next phase of Beyonc's ongoing Renaissance.
While Beyonce's Super Bowl LVIII commercial paid homage to 2016's Lemonade, introduced the world to the possibilities of "Beyonc-AI" and even sent her to space, the surprise singles signal a new direction for the living legend into bonafide country territory.
Meanwhile, "16 CARRIAGES" balances out the yee-haw groove of its jauntier sibling by turning out a slow-burning power ballad as Bey spins a tale of lost innocence and grinding away in the name of a better life. "Sixteen carriages drivin' away while I/ Watch them ride with my dreams away to the/ Summer sunset on a holy night on a/ Lone back road, all the/ Tears I fight," she rhapsodizes over sparse acoustic guitar before slide guitar and pounding percussion crash over her gentle vocals like a wave.
On March 27, Beyonc teased the 'Cowboy Carter' tracklist on Instagram, two days before its release. The post revealed a "Jolene" cover with Dolly Parton, a collaboration with Willie Nelson, and hinted at a partnership with Linda Martell, the first Black female country artist to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, through the track "The Linda Martell Show."
In an Instagram post marking the 10-day countdown 'til Cowboy Carter, Beyonc expressed gratitude and gave deeper insights into her album's journey, a sequel to RENAISSANCE. She reflected on how navigating the criticism and resistance surrounding her foray into country music fueled her evolution as an artist and fortified her resolve to transcend constraints placed on her creative expression.
Beyonc started all this ruckus with an epic Super Bowl commercial for Verizon. The ad began with the two-time halftime show headliner filming a music video for her 2023 one-off "My House." Clad in a red sequined ensemble and surrounded by faceless backup dancers in the same shade of scarlet, Bey bursts from a giant house (also red) as she pronounces, "Who they came to see? Me! Who rep like me, don't make me get up out of my seat. OK!"
Of course, it's a known fact that Beyonc can sing, well, literally anything, but the sonic shift is particularly gratifying for fans of her zydeco-tinged cut "Daddy Lessons" from 2016 or the even more countrified version she recorded with Dixie Chicks after performing the Lemonade fan-favorite with the group at the 2016 CMA Awards.
Along with the pair of singles, Beyonc dropped a teaser for "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" on social media. In the clip, the superstar drives an old-fashioned yellow taxi with a Texas license plate reading "HOLD EM." Opting not to write a caption, the post left the Beyhive buzzing at the possibility that a visual component might accompany Cowboy Carter in some form or another. Though given that fans are still eagerly waiting for any sign of OG Renaissance visuals, don't hold us (or Queen Bey) to this hypothesis.
During a 2022 Billy Strings tour stop at The Observatory in Los Angeles, Malone made a surprise appearance and used the moment to honor Johnny Cash alongside Strings. The pair delivered an acoustic duet of Cash's infamous murder ballad, "Cocaine Blues."
And just this year, Malone covered Hank Williams Sr. during a surprise performance at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. On April 3, he closed out the annual Bobby Bones' Million Dollar Show with a rendition of Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues."
Malone has long collaborated with Dwight Yoakam, marking a friendship and professional partnership that spans his career. Yoakam is a GRAMMY-winning trailblazer known for his pioneering blend of honky tonk, rock and punk that shook up the country scene in the 80's with his blend of "cowpunk."
It's fitting that Malone would find such deep inspiration in folks like Yoakam, a man who first rode onto the country scene with a new take on a traditional sound. Much like Yoakam bridged generations with his music, Malone brings a new yet familiar energy to the country scene, embodying the spirit of a modern cowboy in both style and sound.
Malone teamed up with Keith Urban for a duet rendition of "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" during the "Elvis All-Star Tribute Special," which aired on NBC in 2019. Originally written and performed by blues musician and songwriter Jimmy Reed, "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" was famously covered by Presley and commemorated through Urban and Malone's unique blend of modern guitar-slapping country-rock charisma.
Before Beyonc announced COWBOY CARTER in a Verizon Super Bowl ad, Malone offered Super Bowl Sunday's first country-themed clue at the top of the night with his tender rendition of "America The Beautiful." Sporting a bolo tie and brown suede, Malone delivered his patriotic performance with a characteristically country drawl while strumming along on acoustic guitar before Reba McIntire's star-spangled rendition of the national anthem.
Malone's performance followed in the footsteps of a long line of country artists who have kicked off the national sporting event, which started with Charley Pride in 1974 and has included Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Garth Brooks.
During a performance at the American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas, on March 9, Malone paid tribute to the late Toby Keith, who passed away in February. After pouring one out and taking a sip from a red solo cup (an homage to Keith's playful hit of the same name), Malone performed a cover of "As Good As I Once Was" for the Texas rodeo crowd.
His TikTok video of the performance quickly garnered over 4 million views, sparking enthusiasm among fans for more country music from him. "Sir. I'm now begging for a country album," wrote one user in a comment that has received over 11,000 hearts.
She delivered on that promise with intent. Through a mix of homage and innovation, Beyonc's latest is a 27-track testament to her boundless musicality and draws from a rich aural palette. In addition to its country leanings, COWBOY CARTER includes everything from the soulful depths of gospel to the intricate layers of opera.
Beyonc's stance is clear: she's not here to fit into a box. From the heartfelt tribute in "BLACKBIIRD" to the genre-blurring tracks like "YA YA," Beyonc uses her platform to elevate the conversation around genre, culture, and history. She doesn't claim country music; she illuminates its roots and wings, celebrating the Black artists who've shaped its essence.
The collective album proves no genre was created or remains in isolation. It's a concept stoked in the words of the opening track, "AMERIICAN REQUIEM" when Beyonce reflects, "Nothing really ends / For things to stay the same they have to change again." For country, and all popular genres of music to exist they have to evolve. No sound ever stays the same.
COWBOY CARTER's narrative arc, from "AMERICAN REQUIEM" to "AMEN," is a journey through American music's heart and soul, paying tribute to its origins while charting a path forward. This album isn't just an exploration of musical heritage; it's an act of freedom and a declaration of the multifaceted influence of Black culture on American pop culture.
Before COWBOY CARTER was even released, Beyonc sparked critical discussion over the role of herself and all Black artists in country music. Yet COWBOY CARTER doesn't stake a claim on country music. Rather, it spotlights the genre through collaborations with legends and modern icons, while championing the message that country music, like all popular American music and culture, has always been built on the labor and love of Black lives.
It's a reckoning acknowledged not only by Beyonc's personal connection to country music growing up in Texas, but the role Black artists have played in country music rooted in gospel, blues, and folk music.
Country legends, Dolly Parton ("DOLLY P", "JOLENE," and "TYRANT"), Willie Nelson ("SMOKE HOUR" and "SMOKE HOUR II"), and Martell ("SPAGHETTII and "THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW") serve mainly as spoken-word collaborators, becoming MCs for Queen Bey. Some of the most prolific country music legends receiving her in a space where she has been made to feel unwelcome in music (most notably with the racism surrounding her 2016 CMA performance of "Daddy Lessons" with the Dixie Chicks) provides a prolific release of industry levies. Martell, a woman who trod the dark country road before Bey, finally getting her much-deserved dues appears as an almost pre-ordained and poetic act of justice.
"BLACKBIIRD," a version of the Beatles' civil rights era song of encouragement and hope for the struggle of Black women is led softly by Beyonc, backed by a quartet of Black female contemporary country songbirds: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts.
Beyonc holds space for others, using the power of her star to shine a light on those around her. These inclusions rebuke nay-sayers who quipped pre-release that she was stealing attention from other Black country artists. It also flies in the faces that shunned and discriminated against her, serving as an example of how to do better. The reality that Beyonc wasn't stealing a spotlight, but building a stage for fellow artists, is a case study in how success for one begets success for others.
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