Multi-faceted troubadour
James Yorkston has explored many dimensions during his two decades of work. In addition to his numerous albums of eclectic folk music, the Scottish singer/songwriter has made a trio of records as part of the earthy U.K.-Indian trio
Yorkston/
Thorne/
Khan and authored several books of both fiction and memoir. His previous solo outing, 2019's The Route to the Harmonium, followed the lineage of sprawling self-exploration that has been a hallmark particularly of his later work. It was also recorded at
Yorkston's home studio and performed almost entirely on his own. While its successor,
The Wide Wide River, is collaborative to its core, it nonetheless feels like a continuation of his recent style, albeit pleasantly shaded by a new cast of players. Credited to
James Yorkston &
the Secondhand Orchestra, the project stems from the singer's longtime friendship with Swedish musician
Karl-Jonas Winqvist, who, over a smattering of sessions in Stockholm, paired
Yorkston with his own stable of musicians. Spontaneity has always been an element of
Yorkston's style, but the loose group-mind feel captured here yields appealingly fresh and intimate results. Against his half-spoken musings, a celestial array of jangling guitars, strings, and flutes play out, lifting the music up in a Scottish-Scandinavian communion of burgeoning friendship. The buoyant "Struggle" is a clear highlight with its airy harmonies and warming refrain. The sweetly ramshackle "There Is No Upside" captures the acoustic indie pop spirit of early
Belle and Sebastian and the sprightly mysticism of
the Waterboys'
Fisherman's Blues in equal measure. No one could accuse
Yorkston of being overly polished, but it's that in-between state of chance and composition where his music is best served. The chorus of "A Very Old Fashioned Blues" is a perfect example of this when
the Second Handers tune into his frequency, layering in their gorgeous harmonies with the kind of quickly conjured effervescence that tends to wear off after too much rehearsal. Simply putting a group of barely-familiars in a room together doesn't necessarily guarantee collaborative magic, but
Yorkston &
the Secondhand Orchestra complement each other's strengths well on this richly satisfying matchup. ~ Timothy Monger