PARADISE OF BACHELORS
Since upping sticks and moving from these shores to Chicago in the late 90s, nimblefingered guitarist James Elkington has become a trusted sideman, swapping ideas and licks with everyone from Richard Thompson to Jeff Tweedy to Tortoise. In-between his production and arrangement work, Elkington also finds time to pursue a solo career with his latest release, Ever-Roving Eye, following on from 2017’s praised debut, Wintres Woma. Recorded at Wilco’s Loft, this fresh collection of finely crafted songs treads a similar jazzy, folk-inflected path as the first, summoning up the spirit of early Pentangle, as on laconic opener Nowhere Time and the epic title track. That’s not to say Elkington is content to simply glance back over his shoulder, far from it, as he expands his sonic template into more expansive and gently psychedelic territory.