Barefoot McCoy may not be a current household name, but the blend of folk rock and country that is about to grace your ears by way of his first studio album, Bye Bye Bluebird, will surely leave you wanting more.
While spending time in Kentucky, McCoy became fascinated with the Appalachian culture that would later come to inspire his newest release. Picking up the skill of finger-picking and nearly perfecting the use of the banjo, this unique album will soothe the down-home country soul that you may not have known you had.
Barefoot McCoy Blends Appalachian with Alt Rock
The lyric video for his track “Already Flown” encompasses many landscapes ranging from the big city to the small towns of America. The video starts off with a sped-up city highway scene that is a drastic difference from the sounds that start coming through your speakers. The harmonica sets off the tone perfectly, and by the time the vocals come in, you’re reminded of something along the lines of Hootie and the Blowfish combined with Counting Crows. (Two incredible bands, by the way.)
As the setting of the video leaves the city and enters the countryside, the tempo picks up and the vocals become more powerful as Barefoot McCoy details his life of being a self-proclaimed “rolling stone.” Only adding to the country sound of the song, there’s a slight twang to his voice that complements the harmonica aspect quite well. The song fades away as gently as the scenery that will leave you picturing yourself under that same starry, night sky.
Hello, Bye Bye Bluebird
The rest of the album is equally as impressive, with the title track “Bye Bye Bluebird” bringing in a calmer sound with beautiful vocals. There’s a softness to his voice in this one that echoes slightly, pairing along quite nicely with the steady drum beat in the beginning of the track. As the tempo picks up slightly, the vocals become a bit more intense, but still leave a very peaceful effect over you.
“Hope Is On The Rise” is the fourth track on the album, and starts out sounding like a true country classic would. The vocals are a bit more along the lines of James Blunt, very soothing and calming, but powerful in nature. The gentle strumming of the guitar in this one is a beautiful touch, and contrasts the previous two mentioned tracks perfectly.
“Raindrops and Roses” has to be the most rock-sounding track from the album, with the vocals on this one being much more intense than the others, maintaining a raspy sound throughout that will make you feel the emotions of the song. The instruments prove to be very country with this one, contrasting the sound in a very poetic way.
The 12-track album has so much more to offer, but I’m not going to give all of that away. It’s something that you need to experience yourself, since it’s a bit difficult to convey the true emotion felt with each track solely through writing. But I will leave you with one last thought…
Toward the end of Bye Bye Bluebird, “Riddles on My Heart,” starts off with a very sweet-sounding piano melody that sounds like the slight pinging of wind chimes. It’s quite a beautiful track, that manages to soothe your mind for the remainder of the record.
