James Yorkston

Scottish folk singer James Yorkston's lack of fame and success is a shame. He has all the skills needed to be a great folk singer: deep, poetic lyrics, beautiful guitar playing, the ability to sound good with simple or dense arrangements, and a lovely, moving voice full of Scottish flavor. His lyrics are those of a lovelorn bachelor who has just missed things with the girl, as on "St. Patrick": "I didn't sleep at all last night/I thought my heart had mastered the run of these seas/But they appear not to care about calming lately/I awoke with a smart and a look at the phone/I swear that I would have called you if I'd been sure you were alone/And doesn't that drive things home". Yorkston's backing band, The Athletes (not to be confused with the brit-pop band Athlete) provide a mixture of delicate pianos, fiddle, accordion, and light percussion to Yorkston's finger-pick guitar and banjo melodies. And what melody's they are, beautiful and floating, delicate and melodious. Guitar lines such as those on "Steady As She Goes" or "Time Tomorrow" immediately transport you to a blissful state of consciousness. Yorkston has a deep catalog including three full-length albums, a b-sides album, a live album, and several EPs and singles. All the full-lengths are good to start with, although I would personally recommend Moving Up Country as a starter.
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