JAMES McCARTNEY-THE COMPLETE EP COLLECTION-”AMBITIOUS SONGCRAFT AT EVERY TURN”

JAMES McCARTNEY-THE COMPLETE EP COLLECTION-”AMBITIOUS SONGCRAFT AT EVERY TURN”-REVIEW BY JOHN EMMS

With ambitious songcraft and an eye for lyrical detail James McCartney is above all his own man. That is made crystal clear when you hear this EP collection of 16 tracks that sparkle with texture and feel.
In fact, the longer you listen to what McCartney has done on this 2 disc collection the more the music reveals
Every artist wants to  get it right before the public hears what you are putting out.
But if your dad is Paul McCartney one of the most celebrated songwriters of the century, a batch of songs takes on a different meaning.
But to be perfectly honest James McCartney does not seem fazed.
To his credit, McCartney does not take the easy way through this song cycle created from two digital EP’s and now available as a physical release
Songs such as Glisten with it’s killer vocal and  moody jangle guitars takes you by surprise with it’s haunting power.  That goes the same for New York Times which sounds more like a crunching mid period solo John Lennon track.
Elsewhere songs like the great pop of  My Friend and the intricate acoustic guitar work on  The Sound Of My Voice reveal gorgeous atmospheric details inside the stereo mix created by David Kahne
It should be noted that McCartney did most of the instrumentation himself  before forming a band halfway through the recording sessions that includes solid work from drummers Shawn Pelton and Bryan Johnson as well as bassist Charlie Turner  guitarist Steve Bayley and some nice cello work from Steven Isserlis
More importantly, all the players contribute in a very organic way with McCartney’s songwriting styles.
The results on the heartfelt Wings of The Lightest Weight, Jesus Be My Friend, I Only Want To Be Alone and his cover of Neil Young’s Old Man are often breathtaking in the overall feel and atmosphere of the EP Collection. 
Even though Paul McCartney is listed as as a co-producer with David Kahne, it’s clear that James McCartney’s vision of his growth as a songwriter and artist is his own.
I will be featuring more than a few of McCartney’s tracks on my upcoming radio shows    http://emms.podbean.com/

Source Jemzz Blog