I Was a Cat from a Book explained

I Was a Cat from a Book is an album by the Scottish singer-songwriter James Yorkston, released in 2012 on Domino Records. The album was co-produced by the Welsh singer David Wrench and features a guest appearance by Kathryn Williams.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews. The Line of Best Fit said, "Yorkston exposes and plays with his emotional connection to life around him, showing once again that he is able to put pen to paper in a way that his contemporaries can only dream of",^[1] while The Arts Desk praised "Yorkston’s well-crafted songs, swathed in atmospheric strings, and tinged with melancholy and mystery".^[2]

Track listing

1. "Catch"
2. "Kath with Rhodes"
3. "Border Song"
4. "This Line Says"
5. "Just as Scared"
6. "Sometimes the Act of Giving Love"
7. "The Fire & the Flames"
8. "A Short Blues"
9. "Spanish Ants"
10. "Two"
11. "I Can Take All This"
12. "Black Horse White" (vinyl bonus track)

Musicians

• James Yorkston - Voice (1-12), Guitar (1-8,10,11), Fender Rhodes (2,10), Programming (2), Autoharp (2,11), Banjo (2), Everything (9), Clarinet (10,11), Harmonium (10), Piano Insides (11)
• John Ellis - Piano (1,3,5,6,8,11), Fender Rhodes (6,7,11)
• Esme & Theo - Bells & Boo (3)
• Luke Flowers - Drums (1-3,5-8,11)
• Rachael Gladwin - Harp (1)
• Jill O'Sullivan - Voice (5)
• Sarah Scutt - Voice (2,7,8,12), Clarinet (3,5,7,8)
• Vince Sipprell - Viola (4), String Arrangement (4)
• Emma Smith - Violin (1,3-7,11), Vibraphone (1,2,6), Voice (1,12), String Arrangement (4), Soprano Saxophone (11), Tenor Horn (11)
• Jon Thorne - Double Bass (1-8,10,11)
• Marry Waterson - Voice (12)
• Kathryn Williams - Voice (2)

Notes and References

1. Web site: James Yorkston – I Was a Cat from a Book. Tiffany Daniels. The Line of Best Fit. 13 February 2020.
2. Web site: CD: James Yorkston - I Was a Cat From a Book: Melancholy man from Fife strikes again. Mark Kidel. The Arts Desk. 13 February 2020.