Everything Sacred

A coming together of ideas, Everything Sacred is a collaboration between folk singer-songwriter James Yorkston, classical singer and sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan and bass player Jon Thorne. The three musicians decided to form a trio after a chance encounter between Yorkston and Suhail backstage at a festival in Edinburgh.

“...he took his sarangi out of its case and began playing along with my casual finger-picking, the sounds gelling straightaway. In a moment of excitement I suggested he could play with me that evening if he fancied...”

It was this snap decision that resulted in the creation of Everything Sacred. From the opening instrumental 'Knochentanz', it's possible to hear a great understanding and interplay between Yorkston's guitar picking and Suhail's sarangi playing, while Thorne's double bass lends the group weight and gravity. Not all the tracks are instrumental however, with beautiful vocals from Yorkston and guest singer Lisa O'Neil on 'Little Black Buzzer' and 'Song For Thriza'. Suhail's classical singing is delicately used on 'Broken Wave' to add a majestic quality.

There aren't many faults to be found within Everything Sacred, except that it feels more like a collection of tracks than a cohesive album. It's likely the trio would be best heard live and that a studio recording isn't able to fully capture that experience.