Having the musical style, mood, or characteristics of blues music; soulful and melancholic.
From 'blues' (African-American music genre expressing sorrow) plus '-y' (having the quality of). The adjective form emerged as blues music became recognized as an important art form.
Bluesy became a legitimate musical term only after blues was academically recognized, but musicians had been playing this way for decades—showing how language catches up to culture and art, not the other way around.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.