Lily Allen’s assessment of the latest Beyoncé album have not exactly been well-received by the Texas Hold ’Em singer’s fanbase.
During the latest episode of Miss Me?, the BBC podcast she co-presents with her friend Miquita Oliver, Lily shared her verdict on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s eighth album, which was released last week.
“It’s very weird that [she covered] the most successful songs in that genre,” referencing the fact that Bey put her own spin on Dolly Parton’s Jolene on her latest release.
Miquita then opined: “I feel like Beyoncé could have done a little bit more with it, or maybe picked something that was a little less bait to cover.”
“I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re, like, trying to tackle a new genre, and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover,” Lily agreed.
“I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her – or is she doing Dolly?”
Lily then said she felt that Bey’s musical transition for her Cowboy Carter era was “quite calculated” and “intentional”.
Fans have been sharing their own takes in response to Lily and Miquita’s commentary, with many pointing out that Dolly herself had been calling for Beyoncé to cover Jolene for many years.
Others also pointed out that Lily has tried her hand at country music in the past, both on the It’s Not Me It’s You single Not Fair and on her upcoming fifth album, which she’s currently working on in Nashville.
When Miquita pointed out that Lily was currently working on country music of her own, the Smile singer insisted: “But I’m not like, trying to conquer the country market. I’m here because I’ve loved country music and always have loved country music – not saying Beyoncé doesn’t – but I tell stories in my songs and quite a lot of country music does the same thing.
“I think it’s well-suited to what it is that I do.”
HuffPost UK has contacted Lily Allen’s reps for comment.
Dolly has already heaped praise on Beyoncé’s reinterpreted cover of Jolene, while Paul McCartney has been similarly complimentary about her reimagined version of The Beatles’ Blackbird, which appears early on in the album.
Beyoncé previously wrote on Instagram of Cowboy Carter: “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t.
“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She added: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”