Music Charts Magazine® Country music CD Review of Marcus Boyd - The Bird - by Donna Rea of website CountrysChatter.comIt is always exciting find local talent with a national future. I found that in Marcus Boyd. The Richlands, Va., resident recently released his debut CD, titled The Bird. In addition to singing all of the songs on this CD, Marcus also wrote all 11 songs, and produced the album.

Marcus started playing guitar when he was 8 years old. While growing up in Virginia, he played and sang at church. In addition to guitar, he plays banjo, piano, mandolin and bass. Over the years, he found himself playing just about every kind of music. While  his favorite has remained country, he also plays bluegrass, gospel, and even a little rock and classical. The songs on his album prove that country is the right genre for him.

The CD cover shows us that Marcus has a great sense of humor. The cover art says "The Bird...music from the warped mind of Marcus Boyd". I'm not sure where that came from, since the music doesn't really reflect that. I asked him why he chose The Bird for the album title, and he said, "I named this CD after the song on track six. Really, I could have named it after a number of songs on the CD, but I chose The Bird because it’s a fun song. I write mostly serious songs about all facets of life, and there’s nothing really that I wouldn’t touch. I wanted to keep some “fun” in the album, though. I am not one to take myself too seriously, and I get requests to play this song when I play live. So, I went with it when naming the album”.

The 11 songs you are going to hear are, Gonna Love You, I Gotta Go, Real Man, Leavin’ Virginia, Ain’t Met Her Yet, The Bird, Tuesday Sunset, Pucker  UP, Girlfriends and Ex Wives, Little Church Girl and End of Our Song. Every song is country. Every song is well-written, and it goes without saying that Marcus did a great job singing every song, too. He has the kind of voice that you could fall asleep to, but at the same time, he is such a good entertainer, that you wouldn’t want to sleep through one of his performances.

Somehow, Marcus Boyd manages to make country music sound the way it did 50 years ago, and still makes it sound like we should be hearing it on country radio today. He lists his influences as Gary Allan, Tom Petty, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Leo Kottke, Counting Crows – I hear those influences in his music, but I hear some that go back a lot farther, too.

I never review a CD without picking a favorite song – this time, I can’t pick just one. My absolute favorite is “I Gotta Go”. ‘….It’s never quite what it seems, you spend your life chasing dreams, but I gotta go; I can’t let my life pass me by, you gotta know, I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded, I’ve tried; I’m not one to say I told you so, but I gotta go….’  Those are a few of the lyrics, now wait until you hear this melody. If you like a ballad, sung from the heart – this is your ballad.

“Gonna Love You” is another one of my favorites. It’s a a mid-tempo song, with great lyrics. If Marcus wasn’t a singer/songwriter, I think he would have made a great storyteller. But, I suppose that’s what he is doing through his music. And, he does it well. I am sure that if I were in position to select tunes ready for the radio, “Tuesday Sunset” and “Pucker Up” would be on my playlist.

While they can’t all be favorites, I will say there is not one song on this entire album that isn’t good. “Girlfriends and Ex Wives” should be getting played in every honky tonk in the country. I can just hear the entire bar singing along to that one. Then again, I think a lot of the songs Marcus sings would have that same affect on the people listening. They would want to sing along.  Marcus produced this album, and he did a great job with it. It is an album I will play a lot, and I think everyone who buys a copy will be playing it a lot, too. The album is available on iTunes.

Marcus plays a lot of shows in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. To keep up with his show schedule, please visit marcusboydmusic.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @MarcusBoydMusic. Remember, for all the latest country music news and reviews head over to countryschatter.com, and follow us on Twitter @countryschatter.

 

Music Charts Magazine® Country music CD Review of Marcus Boyd - The Bird - by Donna Rea /of the website we all know and love:  www.CountrysChatter.com