Shaboozey's second album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, is a 20-track concept album accompanied by a three-issue comic. It features narration by actors Jamie Foxx, Teyana Taylor, and Sam Elliott, along with interludes that are cinematic and orchestral, with weeping pedal steel evoking Pink Floyd. Shaboozey rose to fame after his guest appearance on Beyoncé's 2024 album Cowboy Carter (on the track "Spaghettii"), and his single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" unexpectedly became the biggest-selling country single of the year, with over 1.75bn streams on Spotify and briefly tying for the longest-running US No. 1. He received three nominations at the Country Music awards. His previous album Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going remains on the US chart 112 weeks after release.
A bold concept album
The album continues a rich tradition of country concept albums that predates rock, with antecedents like Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959), Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears (1964), and Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger (1975), often voted the greatest country album of all time. Shaboozey's effort is a concerted move into country's heartland, while still featuring pop and hip-hop elements.
Standout tracks and collaborations
Several tracks aim to replicate the success of his hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," such as "Cowgirl" and "Born to Die." "Bullets and Blades" is a striking ballad with R&B star Kehlani, while "High Noon" features a heavily Auto-Tuned guest appearance by rapper Gunna, who offers lines about expensive clothes and "bad hoes" — "spent a hundred thou on clothes / I got bad hoes," he offers, presumably not referencing farming equipment. "If I Was an Outlaw" brings saloon-bar piano, "Sweet Revenge" goes country rock, and the closing track is a traditional cowboy ballad "Streets of Laredo" sung by Orville Peck. Leon Bridges contributes an impressive turn on "Burn It Down."
The album's predominant mode is stark and brooding, driven by fingerpicked acoustic guitar and fiddle. Tracks like "Drunk" are darkly atmospheric and powerful. While Shaboozey dials down the rap influence in his vocals, he still croons with glowering power, and a hip-hop-inspired delivery adds excitement on "Til Sunday."
A lasting impression
As a demonstration of his eclecticism, The Outlaw Cherie Lee works well. The pop-facing tracks hit, the strike rate when diversifying is higher than naysayers suggest, and the boldness of drawing R&B, soul, and hip-hop artists into his world is impressive. The overarching storyline is tight and well handled. Importantly, the album feels like the work of an artist digging in for the long haul, not destabilized by an unexpected hit.
