Prior to stepping out as a solo artist with 2017's 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
Wilco
's loft studio in Chicago with a nimble rhythm section of double bassist
Nick Macri
and drummer
Spencer Tweedy
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
Bert Jansch
. In the dynamic title track, which features guest vocals from
Paradise of Bachelors
labelmate
Tamara Lindeman
(
the Weather Station
),
has produced one of his richest and most harmonically pleasing songs to date. ~ Timothy Monger