On March 24, singer-songwriter Eric Bibb released a new album by the name of “Ridin.” Within this album is a song called, “500 Miles.” This musical piece not only displays a colorful music video but soothing sounds as well. 

“500 Miles” tells the story of a man who is far from home and trying to get back. The issue is that he is short on money. The lyrics are simple. Music that is free of metaphors allows the listener to enjoy the song and not think about the words. The song also uses a couple of unique instruments such as a banjo and fiddle. Playing a single note progression on the banjo at first seems like a strange way to maintain the consistent rhythm and slower tempo of the song, but Bibb succeeds in doing so. Additionally, the banjo gives the music a sad tone. The sad sound is further enhanced by the fiddle. This instrument beautifully blends with the banjo and is what makes the song relaxing. Obviously, the vocals are what can make or break the song. Eric Bibb shares some fabulous pipes with the tune. His soft voice and vibrato are soothing and enhance the deliverance of the sad message of the song in an effective way. 

While the music and vocals are fabulous, the music video released is just as great. Music videos are usually flashy and have no relevance to the song. This is not the case. The music video is great because of the simplicity. The video captivates a man travelling along snowcapped mountains, rushing rivers, and simple fields for “500 miles.” Sharing the beauty and colors of remote areas engages the listener into the visuals while also showing them how far away from home the artist is. 

“500 Miles” is relaxing for several reasons, one reason being the blend of the instruments and the vocals. Secondly, the music video is colorful and relevant to the message. Lastly, the song and video are both simple, but executed beautifully.