Parker McCollum has a swarthy, leather-bound kind of voice. His new song “Like a Cowboy” feels classic, ripped from a bygone era, yet remains staunchly contemporary. Written by Chris Stapleton and Al Anderson, the dusty tune builds slowly with piano first and crescendoing with pedal steel and drums.
While musing on his wayward, cowboy ways, the song serves as a reminder of his grandfather, the late Bobby Yancey. “And I’d ride like a thief on the run / And I’d hide from the things that I’d done / And I’d fly like the wind to the sunset / Just like a cowboy should do,” McCollum bends his voice around the melody. His voice thickens as caramel, but given the right spotlight, it melts right into the ears.
Listen to “Like a Cowboy” below.