Mailbag: Caleb Coy – Wild Desert Rose

The good folks over at Yer Bird Records sent me a copy of Caleb Coy‘s Wild Desert Rose, and I’m so glad that they did.  This gem of a country record positively crackles with an old-time earnestness that simply cannot be ignored.  It’s just a man, a guitar, and a life slowly unwound through his unfussy, soulful tunes.  Here’s how the folks at Yer Bird describe it:

Texas born and southern bred, Caleb Coy writes songs woven from the backwoods tapestry of his drifting ways. Channeling the eloquence and magic of such legendary songwriters as Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and Kris Kristofferson, his songs paint pictures of the open road.

If you close your eyes you can almost see the redtail circling high above and smell the campfire and whiskey amidst the pines. From an old airstream in the high desert of far West Texas and the ancient cliff dwellings of the Gila Wilderness to the south fork of the Yuba River, the American countryside has been his muse and true love for the last five years.

Though the heyday of the hard living troubadour has come and gone, Caleb Coy reminds us that the outlaw spirit is alive and well… and still on the run.

In specific reference to this album, they write:

This is true Country music.  This is an outlaw with a guitar making music because that is what he does.  Sit back, drink this album in like slowly warming whisky on a back porch.

…you just discovered you like country music.

And I think that’s about the best way to praise this record.  If you’re one of those people that claims to like “all kinds of music, except for ____ (usually it’s country and rap, am I right?)”, I challenge you to give this record a try.  I think you might just fall in love, after all…

Have a listen to “I’ll Be Damned,” and then visit the site for more:

[audio:https://www.shh-listen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/04-Ill-Be-Damned-1.mp3|titles=Caleb Coy – I’ll Be Damned]  Download