For nearly every solo success, there’s a host of talented collaborators who go unsung, and Our Man In The Field – AKA Alexander Ellis – is accompanied by a band assembling pedal steel, guitar, banjo, upright bass and drums and – according to their bio –draw inspiration from the alt-Americana and Caledonian soul stylings of Van Morrison, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ryan Adams and Wilco to create music comparable to contemporaries like Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, Foy Vance and Joe Purdy.
‘Great White Hope’ was inspired by the adoption of what he perceived as originally a sports-related term in political circles, and addresses the global rise of populism in politics.
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Musically, it begins as a fairly safe-sounding piano ballad, a bit Elton John even, but gradually, the various instruments enter the mix to fill out a mellow, but emotionally rich, slow-burning country rock song. It’s easy on the ear to the point of perhaps being a shade undemanding, but it’s hard to deny the musicianship and the craftwork involved here.
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