James McCartney, son of the late Linda Eastman McCartney of Wings and you-know-who, has remained fiercely dedicated to his musical vision of melding smart hooks and feral alt-rock with the grandeur and spiritually centeredness of psychedelic music. “The Blackberry Train” was engineered by Steve Albini, best-known for his work with Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ HarveWhile he probably can’t help but be influenced by the music of Wings and the 1960s British Invasion band, the Beatles, James McCartney claims being inspired by such diverse musicians as Kurt Cobain, the Smiths, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, the Cure, Jimi Hendrix, and Hank Williams. The Neil Young song “Old Man” remains a poignant ballad he returns to over and over in his live setsMonday, June
James McCartney, son of the late Linda Eastman McCartney of Wings and you-know-who, has remained fiercely dedicated to his musical vision of melding smart hooks and feral alt-rock with the grandeur and spiritually centeredness of psychedelic music. “The Blackberry Train” was engineered by Steve Albini, best-known for his work with Nirvana, the Pixies and PJ Harvey.
While he probably can’t help but be influenced by the music of Wings and the 1960s British Invasion band, the Beatles, James McCartney claims being inspired by such diverse musicians as Kurt Cobain, the Smiths, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, the Cure, Jimi Hendrix, and Hank Williams. The Neil Young song “Old Man” remains a poignant ballad he returns to over and over in his live sets.
Reviewing McCartney’s 2013 appearance at Helsinki Hudson, local music critic Seth Rogovoy wrote, “Like his dad, he boasts a powerful voice, almost scarily powerful at times (he mostly held back). His is pitched higher than dad’s, but sometimes you could hear dad’s inflections in son’s. But mostly he’s his own man. While sharing a delicacy on a number of songs with titles like ‘Wisteria,’ ‘Snow,’ and ‘Bluebell,’ he favors a darker, more introspective approach, both musically and lyrically. There were very few if any silly love songs; that’s not his thing.”
Reviewing McCartney’s 2013 appearance at Helsinki Hudson, local music critic Seth Rogovoy wrote, “Like his dad, he boasts a powerful voice, almost scarily powerful at times (he mostly held back). His is pitched higher than dad’s, but sometimes you could hear dad’s inflections in son’s. But mostly he’s his own man. While sharing a delicacy on a number of songs with titles like ‘Wisteria,’ ‘Snow,’ and ‘Bluebell,’ he favors a darker, more introspective approach, both musically and lyrically. There were very few if any silly love songs; that’s not his thing.”
