Hard-Fi: 'I Shall Overcome'

Released on Monday, Mar 3 2008

Published Tuesday, Feb 26 2008, 16:05 GMT | By Alex Fletcher | 3 comments

Hard-Fi's Once Upon A Time In The West LP has already spawned the ska-rock stomp of 'Suburban Knights' and shimmering Motown splendour of 'Can't Get Along (Without You)'. Now the Staines genre-hoppers are having a stab at gospel. Alright, it still features the usual snarling cockney vocals, cut-throat guitar riffs and chest-beating chorus, but behind all that lies a soaring, soulful heart that belies the band's usual bravado.

Lyrically, Archer appears to be thumbing the same notebook he used on the band's debut album, Stars of CCTV: cliched metaphors like "dirty towns", "pouring rain" and "shining suns" sound like they've been scraped from the back of Noel Gallagher's wheelie bin. Fortunately, Hard-Fi make up for their lyrical ineptitude with yet another cracking tune, as acoustic guitars duel it out with blasts of melodica and honey-soaked harmonies to gorgeous effect. The result is probably the band's most accomplished track to date.

> Click here to watch the 'I Shall Overcome' video

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Marc, Newcastle, on April 13th, 2008
Good song, but as Alex said, this was not an expected single choice, definitley not one of the stornger songs on the album

Aline, Essen, on March 19th, 2008
I LOVE THE SONG!

Alex (Bucks), on February 28th, 2008
I must admit that I was surprised when I heard that "I Shall Overcome" would be the next single, as I had expected "Tonight" or "Little Angel" to be released. After listening to it more, though, it's really grown on me and I hope that this great song gets the airplay and sales that it deserves.