James Yorkston: Roaring the Gospel
Yorkston is consistent in his delivery
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Published by Bantam Press, out now, hardback, 384 pages, £25. |  |
Tuesday, 15, May 2007 04:01
Domino, out June 4th.
In a nutshell.
Honest, real, hopeful, restrained, simple.
What's it all about?
The fourth album from Yorkston, Roaring the Gospel, is another dish of Scottish folk served warm with his trademark palate cleansing melodies and simple lyrics. Yorkston, an artist who knows his style, manages to push his own limits of experimentation, whilst at the same time staying true to his ability to mix understated tunes with rich sounds, combining them with a power of restraint that keeps his music simple.
He coos to listeners "you gotta settle down" (Blue Madonnas), coaxing us into his calm and easy-paced world of honest reflection and has created a comfortable tapestry of flowing threads with each of the twelve songs gliding easily from one to the other. His backing band resonates Yorkston's restraint, using an array of traditionally earthy instruments that sing along to Yorkston's lyrics and lead melodies, creating a level of realness in the words sung.
Who's it by?
Unbelievably, James Yorkston was a bassist for the Scottish punk band Huckleberry before taking his next musical step into the world of the acoustic. His backing band and collaborators the Athletes, who have previously played alongside Yorkston, join him again on this album. Using an assortment of instruments such as a Banjo, a Clarinet and Concertina means that Yorkston's tunes are never as predictable as they could be and add a touch of originality and quirkiness without being over the top.
As an example
"The sky is never higher than an Edinburgh early autumn but you, you wouldn't notice these things." - A Man with my Skills
"For friends I have a sad story. A sad, sad tale indeed.." - Blue Breezen' Blind Drunk
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Undoubtedly Yorkston's fans won't miss a beat in picking this new title up, but unfortunately there is a bigger chance of Peter Andre picking up a Grammy.
What the others say
"'Roaring The Gospel' Shows Yorkston to have a talent as deep as a mine shaft" - NME
"A compilation of off-cuts, outtakes, covers and traditionals that are of a quality most artists would have as their singles, not in their archive" - The List
So is it any good?
The beginning tracks on this album roll along nicely as Yorkston's sound dives down and soars back up in a consistent and peaceful flow. He clearly hits his stride in the build up to 'The Hills and The Heath' and the quirky use of instruments stops 'Roaring the Gospel' from being boring and clichéd. Frankly, it's hard to fault his ability as an artist.
His pace could be perhaps stifling at first for the regular pop listener, unused to such plain though ultimately multi-layered sounds. Part of the power of Yorkston is that it is always a romance: slowly executed, well-paced, and restrained, with the pay-off being a lifetime of love from a musician who has in no way produced his last work. Despite this, in the end I find myself unsatisfied, not completely blown away. Then again that's not really what this album, or Yorkston, is out to do.
7/10
Louise Cadell