Folk-pop group SHEL gives C&I an exclusive first look at the new music video for their rendition of “The Wayfaring Stranger.”
The indie-folk quartet’s name comes from the first letters of the names of the Holbrook sisters who make up the band: Sarah, Hannah, Eva, and Liza — SHEL. Fresh off their successful sophomore album, Just Crazy Enough, the sisters compiled a list of cover songs for their new EP, Undercover. Among the six renditions is the American classic “Wayfaring Stranger.”
The plaintive folk-gospel standby, which likely originated in the early 1800s, was named one of the Top 100 Western Songs by the Western Writers of America. It’s been covered by everyone from Johnny Cash to Emmylou Harris to Jack White. The SHEL version, produced and engineered by Charles Yingling, puts the vocals of the Fort Collins, Colorado-based band on poignant display.
“Hearing ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ for the first time was like feeling the sorrow of humanity in my very marrow. Only a folk song can do that, because it’s passed from person to person in the oral tradition and the words are steeped in the loss and enduring hope of the people who pass it on,” says lead vocalist Eva. “By the time we’d finished arranging our own version of the song, it conjured a very dark, but spiritual, image in my mind, like a glimpse of the passage from this world to the next. We did our best to capture that and continue the tradition of passing on this beautiful song to the next generation.”
To accompany their rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger,” SHEL produced a mesmerizing music video worthy of the moving lyrics. With soft-spoken vocals, mystical close-ups, and a bohemian style, the video seems to channel Stevie Nicks, generating an almost-dreamlike state.
Watch the video below and prepare to be captivated.
For more information on SHEL and their upcoming tour dates, visit their website.
