Continuing my countdown of the songs on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter…

The next two songs on my Cowboy Carter countdown are interesting examples of Beyoncé stirring the pot of pop culture discourse. As she once sang in ‘Formation,’ “you know you that bitch when you ’cause all this conversation.”

As duet partners on this album, Beyoncé chose Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, two white artists who have been criticized in the past for appropriating Black culture, and who have since migrated toward “whiter” genres.

This could be a coincidence — Cyrus and Malone are both talented and popular performers worthy of the spotlight — but it feels more like a subversive move tied to the reception Beyoncé received when dabbling in the country sphere several years ago.

Whatever her intent, I’m glad she did it, because these are two of my favorite songs on this album.

#7. ‘Levii’s Jeans’

This playful, sexy tune is the album’s most laid-back and sensual moment, and both Beyoncé and Post Malone deliver delightful vocal performances. Levi’s stock rose 20% the day after the album’s release (true story).

#6. ‘II Most Wanted’

Any song that starts off with an interpolation of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ is bound to be good. Miley Cyrus has one of the great pop/rock voices and it blends beautifully with Beyoncé’s here on a lovely track that feels like 1970s Laurel Canyon.

#5. ’16 Carriages’

This song was released as a co-lead single with ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and I kind of let it pass me by at the time. In the full context of the album, it truly shines. This is one of the best-produced tracks on Cowboy Carter, balancing quiet vocal moments with spirited acoustic guitars and epic percussion.