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May 09 2008
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Elly Roberts reviews
James Yorkston: Roaring The Gospel
Distributed by
Domino Records
Having seen James Yorkston perform at Central Station Wrexham a few years ago, I know first hand what this beguiling Scottish singer-songwriter is capable of.
Despite his rather expressionless vocals, he writes excellent Americana-type
songs.
The Fife-based folkie releases a compilation of snippets from EPs and 7” vinyls
for Roaring The Gospel. Some might say he’s been in living in the shadows
of Bert Jansch for far too long, which is true. His crowning glory is the intimacy
of his work which flits from sobering ballads like Blue Bleezin’ Blind Drunk,
a kind of shanty, to gentle beat numbers like Sleep Is The Jewel and the
previously unreleased The Hills And The Heath.
A Man With My Skills, a story about resisting the temptations of alcohol
is not as sombre as one might imagine. The overall effect is quite upbeat,
which possibly reflects his success in succumbing to temptation. There’s
clattering drums and dazzling piano that keep up the steady pace. It’s a very
good start.
A genuine Americana folkie flavour booms forward on the banjo juicy Someplace
Simple, a song he apparently, snatched from a mate in America ands wrote a
song around the basics, with Yorkston’s vocals at their lazy plaintive best.
Blue Madonnas was recorded in 2000, on his St. Patrick EP. Done in his
parent’s garage they had some fun, or complications, doing this ambling rambler.
It has some wonderful banjo work that sprinkles along neatly with subdued bass
hanging in the background. Banjo features again on quaint Seven Streams,
a collaboration of sorts by some friends he met on his wanderings around the
Scottish Highlands.
Doing a cover of Tim Buckley’s Song To The Siren is very courageous indeed,
but, in his inimitable style, he pulls it off as the delicious violin adds the
emotional timbre. Domino Records, according to Yorkston, picked up on The Lang
Tun, bringing him his debut on Domino. It seems to warble along with occasional
cacophonous moments, never really going anywhere. It’s Yorkston’s least effective
inclusion here.
Leaving on a somewhat limp effort, a dull La Magnifica wanders aimlessly
to the end. It can be a problem when making a compilation when you’re snatching
songs from different releases. You lose the homogenous effect of a proper album,
so to speak.
There are some moments when Yorkston has a kind of mainstream cross-over appeal,
and others which leave him on the fringes of making the big time.
Maybe it’s his objective to remain on the edge. In truth, he deserves a bigger
audience, though I doubt if it will ever happen somehow.
That’s down to him. He could do with a ‘hit’ song of sorts, to draw people in.
Sadly it’s not here on this collection.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. A Man With My Skills
2. Someplace Simple
3. Blue Madonnas
4. Seven Streams
5. The Hills And The Heath
6. Song To The Siren
7. Moving Up Country, Roaring The Gospel
8. Blue Bleezin’ Blind Drunk
9. Sleep Is The Jewel
10. Are You Coming Home Tonight ?
11. The Lang Toun
12. La Magnifica
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
For prints of any of Elly's concert pics online,
email Elly
or call 07765 862017.
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