"Elegant, captivating and inspiring" - Indie Music People
“Before anything else, Yakobo has soul. The Derby musician is making a big impact with his own powerful sound.” – Sophie Sparham, Derby Telegraph
“A treat for your ears” – Nusic
Yakobo is the singer-songwriter project of James Currey. Timeless songwriting values mix with a fiery performance which has been likened to Jeff Buckley. Part 3 of Yakobo's EP Trilogy will be released 7th April 2017.
Debut mini-album Glimpses was released in 2012. Since then Yakobo has played at festivals and prestigious venues around the UK supporting the likes of This Is The Kit, Chloë Howl and Mark Morris (Bluetones). Whether playing solo or with a band, Currey’s voice soars over carefully crafted arrangements, pivoting between delicate falsetto and vocal-shredding choruses.
Yakobo has also created the soundtracks for Xbox One/Steam games The Turing Test and Pneuma: Breath of Life and the feature-length documentary L’eglise Sur L’ocean.
In May 2015 Yakobo ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund an EP Trilogy. The first EP from this set was released on 23rd October 2015, entitled Wander in the Wilderness. The catchy opening track Dawn is Here has been featured on films, music blogs and compilations since its release.
Part 2 of the EP Trilogy The Passage of Time was released in August 2016. It included the live favourite Goldmine alongside new tracks where Yakobo pushed away from the singer-songwriter stereotype. The EP and accompanying music video have garnered a hugely positive response from fans and press, with a resounding success at the packed home-town launch show in Derby.
The forthcoming 3rd instalment to the trilogy continues to expand Yakobo's scope. Influence from jazz and soul can be heard amongst the EP's more melancholy tone. The faith and hubris of earlier songs has been tainted by a more world-weary view, but not one without hope. An announcement about the 3rd EP will be arriving on 1st February.