James Elkington: Beechwood Park/Corridor Country

Acknowledgments for Ever-Roving Eye

9/10 (Album of the Month). The triumph that Wintres Woma hinted at … his richest, most complete effort yet. What immediately sets the record apart from many of its counterparts, even from Elkington’s debut, is its swing. An outstanding record from a humble collaborator, a leisurely developer, a man forever caught somewhere between Chorleywood and Chicago.

– Uncut

4 stars (Filter lead review). Chicago folk rock’s MVP. Crisp études … subsumed into an elaborate, woody matrix.

– MOJO

James Elkington continues to mix gorgeous Bert Jansch-like guitar lines with prime 6 Music melodies. Ever-Roving Eye is his best album yet, his lazy, heated vocals helping songs such as Carousel and Nowhere Time burrow deep in the brain (fans of Bill Callahan and Wilco, listen up).

– The Guardian

On the follow-up to his 2017 debut, the Chicago guitarist ventures beyond his folk roots, sounding looser and freer than ever. These new songs savor a wider variety of sounds, like the prismatic strings and woodwinds that flutter just under the surface of “Tempering Moon,” or the pile-up of voices on the psychedelic title track… Lyrically, Elkington remains an eccentric songwriter, given to playful turns of phrase as ornate as they are cryptic. The unstoppable passage of time is his primary theme, and he’s found an intriguing way of addressing it through his music: Ever-Roving Eye collapses time as Elkington combines elements from previous projects into his current folk palette.

– Pitchfork

Elkington’s music strikes a warm traditional tone, with echoes of Pentangle in his agile playing, his warm vocal tone, and the half-blues, half-traditional British tenor of his songs… Wintres Woma in 2018 and now Ever-Roving Eye [are] both warm and gorgeous, studded with striking lyrical imagery, arresting melodies and intriguing musical intervals.

– PopMatters

Elkington’s guitar chops are such that he has done session work for Richard Thompson, among others, and his intricate acoustic fingerpicking underpins these sturdy songs, as do subtle melodies built to last.

– Associated Press

Like Wintres Woma, the album is rooted in elegant folk with mesmerizing fingerpicked guitar and leans on Elkington’s expressive, dusky baritone. Songs like the subverted Laurel Canyon-styled pop of “Leopards Lay Down” reveal cryptic but compelling flashes of Elkington’s dark wit. Overall, however, the songs on Ever-Roving Eye are more hot-blooded and propulsive.

– Chicago Sun-Times

4 stars. Another brilliant album… Full of cryptic lyrics and highly skilled musicianship, it’s a wonderfully engaging record that will no doubt appear in the Best Albums of the Year lists come December.

– The Morning Star

4 stars. A low-key, slow-burn delight.

– The Guardian

Another beautifully understated collection full of stark introspection, stylistic nuance, and elegant guitar craft… he absolutely dazzles across the entire set.

– AllMusic

Such cryptic genius!

– Folk Radio UK

If his mind is in a stir, the music that frames his musings feels unfailingly effortless. More than ever before, he’s put those same skills that enable him to make other people’s music sound so good at the service of his own songs.

– Dusted

British-born but US-based, Elkington has so far been best known for his work on records by the likes of Michael Chapman and Joan Shelley. His latest upcoming solo album, a stunning mix of Americana and psychedelic folk, is likely to change that.

– Uncut

First, Chicago-based English guitarist extraordinaire James Elkington built up a sterling reputation for himself as a sideman for the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Joan Shelley, Richard Thompson, Steve Gunn, Nap Eyes, Michael Chapman, and Tortoise. Then, with 2017 debut Wintres Woma, he proved he’s a skilled singer-songwriter in addition to his instrumental mastery. This spring, he’ll show off those talents again on his second LP, Ever-Roving Eye.

– Stereogum