Our Man In The Field fresh from an AMA nomination for their previous single "Thin ( I used to be bulletproof)" are back with a new single that is easily as good if not arguably better. Possessors of a sound so welcoming like a roaring fire on cold night and with a voice that seems to be a combination of soulful, worn, and rich they had previously flown under our radar but a sound this good needs to be shouted about.
The opening section a simple piano intro over which those aforementioned vocals are laid down, perfectly matching the sombre tone of the lyrics
"I won’t ask if you don’t want to say
See it in your eyes anyway
You’ve been having doubts and I feel the same
No one told us it would feel this way"
They are eventually joined by a pedal steel that only adds to that feeling of foreboding until after the first chorus the rest of the band kick in. The addition of percussion and stand up bass perfectly complete that inviting sound which curiously sounds so unique yet also strangely familiar, with elements of many influences brought to bear, Ray LaMontagne and Van Morrison being but two but each listener will surely find their own.
The really endearing thing about this song is the lyric which takes the phrase "Great White Hope" and takes it back to it's boxing roots and the black heavyweight Jack Johnson. It was still being used in the 80's and was applied to Gerry Cooney when there seemed no way to dislodge Larry Holmes from the title. Despite the boxing cover the phrase has more recently been utilised into the world of politics where slogans have been used to whip up national fervour rather than actual policies.
When the words "So where is this great white hope come to save us all, If I didn’t know I’d say that we’ve been fooled" are sung there are many current leaders that this could refer to.
With some perfectly placed backing vocals, this is pretty much a faultless four minutes that should be on everyones radar.