So this is a promo shot for Skins, right?…
[Video][Website]
[3.71]
Iain Mew: Embrace really have had a bizarre career arc – initial success as brash Oasis-alikes; all-over-the-place follow-up; quick descent into being irrelevant balladeers; commercially rescued by a Coldplay cast-off; an England World Cup song that would have sat oddly at any stage. Now a song from the first album that seems such a long time ago is back, to try to convince you that KFC has soul. You can just about see what someone saw in the song, but a powerful voice and sturdy arrangement do little to disguise that this was meant to be a shouty rabble-rouser and there was barely enough to it for that purpose, never mind the new weight of feeling it’s meant to hold up.
[3]
Edward Okulicz: The Embrace original is not too bad as a daft sing-a-long but in contrast to his perennially congested-sounding brother, Richard McNamara had that awful yowling style beloved of nearly every British rock vocalist for a time in the 90s. The singer here is showing impressive commitment to something so slight, but a piano arrangement doesn’t really suit the chorus, shearing it as it does of any inherent energy. Taken on its own merits, it’s rather nice background music and tastefully done, but not a great deal more than that.
[4]
Katherine St Asaph: When Duffy tried to be the next Adele, at least she had verve.
[5]
Michaela Drapes: Guys, guys! I have an awesome party trick — I can totally sing that old Embrace song in my Adele voice! If ever something sounded like it was recorded specifically to underscore endless ads for edgy American cable dramas (or, apparently, UK KFC ads), this would be it.
[2]
Zach Lyon: My tunnel vision is pointed at America, so I only just listened to Embrace’s “One Big Family” for the first time a few minutes ago, after a week or two of listening to Templecloud’s cover. And I thought, “Oh, this makes sense now. I can actually understand this song’s existence. I can see how someone could listen to this without skipping to the next song after thirty seconds.” Like the majority of covers that strip a song down to acoustics and voice and add nothing on any level, this version is at best a very creative American Idol audition, or something you play to a live audience that appreciates the reference.
[3]
Ian Mathers: In one of those bits of referential miswiring that happens in my brain, it turns out that I was expecting to hear something with a melody like My Morning Jacket’s “One Big Holiday.” Instead it’s a cover of an old Embrace song. Now, I have more affection for Embrace than I would expect most people do, but I’ll freely admit that “One Big Family” is not one of their finer moments. At least it’s got a certain blustery, very of-its-time charm, but do you know what doesn’t improve it? A portentous, slow, post-Adele version that places way more weight on the lyrics than they can bear. Do you know what would have made a much better soundtrack for selling fried chicken? “One Big Holiday.” It’s even Southern, for chrissakes.
[4]
Hazel Robinson: This seemed worse when I thought it was actually a white lady singing, soulfully, “I own your hide by rights,” especially given the preceding line about her clan. But no, it just appears to be the least threatening mafiosa ballad ever.
[5]