The Year Of The Leopard

James Yorkston

This fella from Fife may keep slipping under your radar but now he seems to have been given enough of a shove to capture himself a fairer share of the spotlight. Attention or not though he’s been slowly building himself a reputation as an elegant songwriter of modern folk music laced with wit and humour.

This his third offering doesn’t stray too far from his original blueprint but there are new depths skilfully mixed by Paul Webb AKA Rustin’ Man. You may have seen the review for Paul’s collaboration with Beth Gibbons elsewhere on this site. He’s certainly helped pile on the rustic warmth here. Put your hands up to the speakers and feel the glow! There’s piano, accordion and harmonium queuing up to be added to a soft bed of melodies for James to rest his vocals and guitar upon.

With such attention to detail it’ll be interesting to hear how some of these songs are presented live at forthcoming gigs. Though it would be hard to imagine tiring of James’s tender voice and tumbling guitar patterns alone.

A couple of the tracks here might not be able to stand up by themselves in a stiff breeze, especially when he briefly resorts to a spoken narrative, but you only need to read track titles such as ‘Summer Song’ or ‘Woozy with Cider’ to get the overall picture.

This is a walk in the country in a giddy drunken haze or a conversation with a new lover. Music to befriend and treasure.

David Kushar