Actually, I like the idea of Pei Zin Practitioner Oracle with Life Mystery. To get weapon proficiency, use Elf, Half-Orc, or even Half-Elf with Ancestral Weapon or Weapon Familiarity (replaces Adaptability), or even Human with Military Tradition (replaces Human Bonus Feat with proficiency in **2** Martial or Exotic weapons). Nevertheless, a d8, 3/4 BAB character (whose only good Save is Will) at 2 levels behind you is going to be squishy enough and have a hard enough time hitting things that you might be better off not building for front line use or even for archery. In that case, if Human, save the Bonus Feat for something else, such as Focused Study with the first Skill Focus being on Profession (Herbalist) to boost Master Herbalist and Master Healing Technique; or if Half-Elf, save the Adaptability for Skill Focus (Profession (Herbalist)) to boost Master Herbalist and Master Healing Technique.
Spell Kenning is great on a Skald, but keep in mind that it works off their 6/9 spellcasting progression, which gets brutal if they are behind in levels, which means that relative to your party, progression of the non-Bard spells that they can cast will be even slower than the normal 6/9, on top of the VMC Oracle Mystery progression being extremely delayed. And you mentioned Resurrection -- you're NEVER getting that on a Skald, no matter how high level you get to (unless you use the Epic rules and manage to get yourself to level 23 so that you can get the Cohort to level 21). Raise Dead, eventually yes, but not Resurrection (7th level).
Also keep in mind that VMC eats 5 feats, of which the first is at 3rd level, and the next is at 7th level, so you will have 1 spare feat and eventually 2 spare feats to use on Extra Revelation to replace the Revelations that Pei Zin Practitioner trades out at levels 1 and 7, so at 5th level your Oracle could already have Channel Energy, Energy Body, and Life Link (3rd level Revelation + 3rd and 5th level Character Feats).
Note that the Human Favored Class Bonus (which Half-Elves can also use) for Oracle is "Add one spell known from the oracle spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the oracle can cast" -- you want this. Optionally, since 3rd level spells have a greater than usual number of commonly-needed bad status removal spells, at 9th level, get 2 additional 3rd level spells known with Expanded Arcana (they need to be at least 1 level below the highest level you can cast if you want to get 2 of them), although with careful use of the Human Favored Class Bonus, you might not need this feat at all, depending upon how many other 3rd level spells you need to use commonly enough that Scrolls won't cut it (and depending upon how hard it is to get the Scrolls you need).
I was also going to mention the possibility of Pei Zin Oracle VMC Bard (unfortunately they don't make a VMC Skald) if you want your Cohort to have more of an emphasis on skills than on feats. Note that the level delay of some of the VMC Bard abilities will be especially painful on your Cohort, who is already inherently level-delayed. Even so, Bardic Knowledge and Versatile Training don't have any more delay than the delay inherent in being a Cohort, and if your campaign goes as long as most Pathfinder APs, your Cohort will get both of these. Note that if you go Human with Focused Study and choose the 2nd or 3rd Skill Focus feat that you get from this(*) to correspond to the Perform skill that you choose for Versatile Training, it will also boost the associated skills, like it would on a regular Bard or Skald.
(*)Would also work with the first, but you want that for Profession (Herbalist), which boosts 2 things on a Pei Zin Practitioner Oracle -- see previous post.
Instead of going for the life link, you could make a Path of Glory focused skald giving out the Lesser Celestial Totem rage power. Synergizes well with the Channel revelation if you still want to go VMC.
Whenever she is subject to a spell that cures hit point damage, she heals 1 additional point of damage per caster level. In the case of non-spell healing effects (such as channeled energy or lay on hands), she heals a number of additional points equal to the class level of the character performing the magical healing. This does not affect fast healing or regeneration.
You'd probably want to make the cohort take the Court Poet archetype so that you can also give out rage powers to allies who depend on spells or SLAs.
If you are considering using Lesser celestial totem + channel energy in order to get some good heals on, try out the Sunsinger archetype for the Skald. You lose out on Spell Kenning but get a channel pool inherently and can spend your VMC option (if available) on something else, or more of the same.
I created a human skald that did this, and chose Paladin as his VMC. Feats were very easy. Combat Reflexes, Lingering Song, Selective Channel, Purifying Channel, Extra Channel, Extra Channel. Between the Masterpieces available and the favored class bonuses (more spells), I had no real need to take other feats. I never missed Spell Kenning. At all.
Come to think of it, I should have asked: Who else is in the party right now? This would make a difference for the best way to make your Cohort.
This is an interesting way to get there, and I expect your Skald with VMC Oracle would work well enough.
That said, I think an evangelist cleric would be a better option. The only place you are worse on your list of desires is skills and except for unusual circumstances I don't find skills all that desirable in a cohort anyway (let the PCs, not their lackeys take the lead in that sort of thing.)
Evangelist Cleric is a reasonable option, although keep in mind that this archetype trades out the ability to cast Cure-series spells spontaneously (in exchange for some other spells for most of which the need will probably not arise as often). But it DOES get rid of the need for VMC anything (and the associated extra level delays -- no delay in Bardic Performance progression beyond the delay for being a Cohort).
I don’t think it’s actually necromancy, if you’re the original poster.
If I’d have seen this thread back then, I’d have suggested a spirit guide battle oracle with a wandering life spirit. But it sounds like you’re enjoying what you have. Oracle is a very versatile class. There are a lot of unique ways to play one.