I Was A Cat From A Book

(Domino)

There is something of the stealth pop seducer in James Yorkston. While it's tempting to state that I Was A Cat From A Book is the Fife bard's finest LP yet, upholding such a declaration calls for a reassessment of his back-catalogue – which, it transpires, sounds better than ever. Yorkston's balmy elegies become more potent with time, and each of his five solo albums could stake a claim on being his best. The Fence Collective ally broaches fresh terrain on I Was A Cat, engaging a jazz trio and strings to gorgeous, intuitive effect. Fans will delight in its fireside psalms (Catch), kraut-folk (Spanish Ants) and Violent Femmes-esque diatribes (I Can Take All This), but it also serves as a terrific introduction for those not yet acquainted with his earthly muse. The exquisite balladry of A Short Blues, the warm elation of Just As Scared (with Jill O'Sullivan) and the Radiohead-evoking swoon of Sometimes The Act Of Giving Love attest that this is Yorkston's greatest album since the last one, 'til the next.