Ever-Roving Eye

Prior to stepping out as a solo artist with 2017s woody folk-rock gem Wintres Woma, British-born guitarist James Elkington had carved out an impressive career as a spotlight-adjacent collaborator, playing in numerous bands around his adopted hometown of Chicago, recording a pair of acclaimed folk guitar duet albums with Nathan Salsburg, and working with a range of acts from Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day to his guitar hero, Richard Thompson. His behind-the-scenes work has continued in the years since with forays into production and arranging for artists like Nap Eyes, Joan Shelley, and Steve Gunn. With Ever-Roving Eye, the reluctant frontman returns to solo work, offering another beautifully understated collection full of stark introspection, stylistic nuance, and elegant guitar craft. Recorded at Wilcos loft studio in Chicago with a nimble rhythm section of double bassist Nick Macri and drummer Spencer Tweedy, Ever-Roving Eye plays like a logical and slightly more daring sequel to his debut, moving forward into loose psychedelic shapes with pastoral chamber arrangements -- courtesy of woodwind player Paul von Mertens -- dotting the otherwise sparse landscape. As a vocalist, Elkington holds his own, economically applying his slight baritone to stately ballads like Leopards Lay Down and Moon Tempering, but as a guitarist he absolutely dazzles across the entire set. The circular rounds that propel standout Nowhere Time are stunning and the all-instrumental Rendlesham Way follows in the classic U.K. folk tradition of masters like Davy Graham and Bert Jansch. In the dynamic title track, which features guest vocals from Paradise of Bachelors labelmate Tamara Lindeman (the Weather Station), Elkington has produced one of his richest and most harmonically pleasing songs to date. ~ Timothy Monger