Track Listing

1. Summer Song
2. Steady As She Goes
3. Year Of The Leopard
4. 5am
5. Woozy With Cider
6. I Awoke
7. Brussels Rambler
8. Orgiva Song
9. Don't Let Me Down
10. Us Late Travellers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8663 in Music
• Released on: 2006-09-25
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
Initially cutting his performing chops in a series of punk bands, James Yorkston was propelled into the U.K. folk limelight after securing an opening slot supporting John Martyn.His third album, YEAR OF THE LEOPARD, finds Yorkston in full creative bloom--from traditional acoustic folk to more experimental spoken word pieces, its spare beauty is lent a cohesiveness from Paul Webb's delicate production and sparse arrangements. Yorkston's wispy intonation brims with an understated yet affecting charm. Happily flouting easy tags like "new folk" or "singer-songwriter," THE YEAR OF THE LEOPARD is ahighly original work by an artist at the height of his powers.

Customer Reviews

A return to form
While I loved the tuneful country-folk of Yorkston's first CD, Moving Up Country, I was slightly let down by its follow-up, the starker Just Beyond The River. The slight opener on The Year Of The Leopard, Summer Song, didn't bode well either, but Steady As She Goes is as beautiful as any song that Yorkston has recorded, and then it only gets better. The songs are melodic masterpieces, often only based upon Yorkston's wonderful guitar playing, but with other instruments weaving in and out and with some haunting harmony vocals by Jenny Casino.
Recommended!

Home James !
This is a lovely album . Warm songs gently spun in the cold Scottish air,created by a modest yet extremely talented tunesmith.
James Yorkston has the look of bank clerk on his day off. Not for him the razamatazz of show-biz. Instead,James of the wooly jumper and faded cords lets his music do the talking for him and weaves some memorable tales torn straight from the heart.
As part of Fife's 'Fence Collective'. James has been one of their most successful ambassadors. Becoming a minor cult figure on the folk music circuit and attracting a new legion of admirers through his appearence on the FC feature on BBC2's 'Culture Show' where daffy dame Laura Lavigne confessed her devotion to the music of JY.
Every track on the album is a quality work yet the melancholic narrative spoken piece 'Woozy with Cider' stands out.
Personally I hope James avoids the ratamatazz of commercial success. He's too good to become a Radio 2 mainstay or engender the hostility which generally follows success in our 'build em up...knock em down' culture. Hopefully he'll remain the talented outsider with a cult following.

Simply beautiful
This record is simply divine. With bitter sweet lyrics and simple melodies James Yorkston takes you on an emotional journey.
It is hard to label as it is folk/lo-fi/indie harking back to traditional singer-songwriter but definitely fresh. I think if you like the new folk music coming out of the UK then this will be a welcome record in your cd. If you've not heard him yet then take a gamble and I'm sure Mr Yorkston will put a smile on your face.
Based in Fife, Scotland he has strong links to the Fence Collective.