April 13th, 2022 (Nashville, TN): Rising star Bailey James puts her vocal, lyrical, and instrumental prowess on full display with her latest single “The Crow.” She breathes a new, unique life into country in all her music, but this track especially displays her ability to create a mood with sound. Bailey James new single “The Crow” will be available for streaming and download on April 13th, 2022. Click here for a first listen.
This haunting track opens quietly, with a few synth chords that build to the track’s drum and guitar backbone. James’ vocals pitch and keen in a way that envelopes the track in its own chilling ambiance, never feeling whiny or too excessive. It’s spectacular how James’ voice laden with a light country twang is able to meld seamlessly with more rock-inspired riffs. Each verse builds to a high-drive chorus, the final one ending on a short but captivating stint that’s just guitar.
Through her descriptive lyrics, one is left wondering whether “the crow” James refers to in her song is literal, or more metaphorical, an overall meaning of following nature and its endless wisdom. Or maybe it is just about a crow. Maybe that isn’t really the point. The most thought-provoking lyrics in this song, full of solid ones, are the final two: “I had a dream I was woken up from a nightmare/and never fell back asleep so maybe I’m right there.” This dream-within-a-dream wordsmithing has the listener guessing if this whole song is a depiction of a dreamscape, the aftermath of a nightmare James was privy to. It’s clever, and a thought-provoking note to end this evocative song on.
