LISTEN: Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus collaboration is "literally perfect"

For the last few days, Beyoncé's latest album is all anyone has been talking about.

And for good reason.

READ: Beyoncé releases powerful rendition of Dolly Parton's 'Jolene'

Queen Bey decided that she needed to bring out the big guns and featured collaborations that included country star royalty including Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones, Shaboozey, and Willie Nelson.

While the single, 'Texas Hold 'Em', has been trending for weeks now, everyone has been anxiously anticipating the release of this album and many were most excited about the collaborations.

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One song that has stood out is "II Most Wanted" which features Dolly Patron's goddaughter and a fellow Southern Queen, Miley Cyrus.

In a message on X, Miley expressed her gratitude towards Beyoncé and thanked her for being included in this project:

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So far the song has received rave reviews:

You can listen to the track here:

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The 27-track, highly-anticipated record out Friday is the second act of her 'Renaissance' trilogy, a sonically diverse jamboree flavoured with strings and pedal steel guitar.

Beyonce has been a versatile showbiz fixture for nearly three decades, but for all the caps she's worn, the Houston-bred megastar's cowboy hat has stayed within reach: Queen Bey has always been country.

But even the powerful artist - who has more Grammy wins than any other artist in the business, ever - has brushed up against the overwhelmingly white, male gatekeepers of country music who have long dictated the genre's perceived boundaries.

She notably received racist comments after performing what was then her most country song to date, 'Daddy Lessons', at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards alongside The Chicks.

And while her first two singles off the album were released last month to chart-topping acclaim and ecstasy from fans, there were also predictable, bigoted eyebrow raises from some circles.

At the same time, news of her album magnified a wider conversation on the long history of black artists in country music, and the persistent racist backlash they've continued to experience in those spaces.

A Texan raised by a mother from Louisiana and father from Alabama, Beyonce tackled the perceived "controversy" over her full country turn on the track, 'Ameriican Requiem'.

"They used to say I spoke, 'Too country' / Then the rejection came, said I wasn't, 'Country enough' / Said I wouldn't saddle up, but if that ain't country, tell me, what is?" Beyonce sings on the track whose musical allusions include Buffalo Springfield's classic, 'For What It's Worth'.

"Tread my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don't, don't know how hard I had to fight for this."

And with technical mastery she delivers a blend of styles including various country subsets as well as rap, dance, soul, funk, rock, and gospel.

It's a full-colour display of just how rich music can grow outside dusty strictures of genre.

"Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they?" says an intro to 'Spaghettii'.

"In theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand - but in practice, well, some may feel confined."

Tune in to 'The Drive with Rob & Roz', on weekdays from 16:00 - 19:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.

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Main image courtesy of @MileyOnStats/X