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Elly Roberts reviews
Domino Records
- June 2007
- Rating: 6/10
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-typesongs.
The Fife-based folkie releases a compilation of snippets from EPs and 7 vinylsfor Roaring The Gospel. Some might say hes been in living in the shadowsof Bert Jansch for far too long, which is true. His crowning glory is the intimacyof 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 thepreviously unreleased The Hills And The Heath.
A Man With My Skills, a story about resisting the temptations of alcoholis not as sombre as one might imagine. The overall effect is quite upbeat,which possibly reflects his success in succumbing to temptation. Theresclattering drums and dazzling piano that keep up the steady pace. Its a verygood start.
A genuine Americana folkie flavour booms forward on the banjo juicy SomeplaceSimple, a song he apparently, snatched from a mate in America ands wrote asong around the basics, with Yorkstons vocals at their lazy plaintive best.
Blue Madonnas was recorded in 2000, on his St. Patrick EP. Done in hisparents garage they had some fun, or complications, doing this ambling rambler.It has some wonderful banjo work that sprinkles along neatly with subdued basshanging in the background. Banjo features again on quaint Seven Streams,a collaboration of sorts by some friends he met on his wanderings around theScottish Highlands.
Doing a cover of Tim Buckleys Song To The Siren is very courageous indeed,but, in his inimitable style, he pulls it off as the delicious violin adds theemotional timbre. Domino Records, according to Yorkston, picked up on The LangTun, bringing him his debut on Domino. It seems to warble along with occasionalcacophonous moments, never really going anywhere. Its Yorkstons least effectiveinclusion here.
Leaving on a somewhat limp effort, a dull La Magnifica wanders aimlesslyto the end. It can be a problem when making a compilation when youre snatchingsongs 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 its his objective to remain on the edge. In truth, he deserves a biggeraudience, though I doubt if it will ever happen somehow.
Thats down to him. He could do with a hit song of sorts, to draw people in.Sadly its not here on this collection.
Weblink:jamesyorkston.co.uk
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
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.