Straight No Chaser points ‘Homeward Bound’
For their seventh album “One Shot,” a cappella favorites Straight No Chaser celebrate their success with a collection of wide-ranging covers – including one sentimental favorite, the Simon and Garfunkel classic “Homeward Bound.”
Fittingly, Straight No Chaser paired the track with a nostalgic video that intercuts clips of the band on the road with footage of sweet moments of the bandmates with their families, a testament to what “home” really means for each of them.
Steve Morgan, one of the founding members, told USA TODAY that he first connected with the message of “Homeward Bound” when he was an exchange student in Germany in high school, dealing with his homesickness. Now that he’s a father who spends months on tour away from his family, the song has taken on a different meaning.
“When we were trying to tell the story of us as individuals and a group, I felt it was important to tell the story of the families we leave at home when we head out on the road,” he said. “Randy (Stine) suggested this song to do just that, and I immediately wanted to arrange it.”
“One Shot,” out Nov. 2, includes the group’s takes on songs from James Brown, Fleetwood Mac and Ricky Martin, as well as a Boyz II Men and Montell Jordan mashup of “Motownphilly/This Is How We Do It” and a cover of Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” dedicated to the band’s significant others.
The band hits the road for their “One Shot” tour on Oct. 26 in Prior Lake, Minn. Their trek wraps up on Jan. 5 in Waimea, Hawaii.