James Martin - James Martin

James Martin

​James Martin
self-released; 2017

3.5 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

James Martin is a singer/songwriter from New York who recently released a four-song self-titled EP James Martin. His style is diverse and each song has a different approach. I found his voice to be familiar sounding in a general way. In all honesty it reminded me of a lot of singers from grunge bands back in the ’90s.

Up first is “From Here to Eternity” which is a heavy song and to my ears had elements of prog and metal. The production is top notch but also pretty straightforward. Martin focuses on guitar, bass and drums and a familiar bed of distortion on the chorus. Towards the end of the song there is a breakdown with clean guitar but it goes back into the heavier part with almost no warning.

“Lost Your Wings” has a more classic rock approach at times. On the verse it reminds me of Iron Butterfly while the bridge and chorus veer towards a ’70s metal vibe. It’s a pretty catchy tune with no real surprises either.

I was a little more surprised by “Autumn Song” which takes advantage of bongos and acoustic guitar. The song leans towards pop and folk which he handles with ease but it felt a little out of place against the other songs.

He closes with “Kakia” which has a lot more in common with “From Here to Eternity” and “Lost Your Wings.” Martin’s vocals felt a little more aligned with Ian Curtis on this song especially during the verse where he is little less dynamic.

Overall, this EP isn’t introducing new concepts or ideas but the songs were well written and produced. On that note I’d be interested to hear what Martin has in store for us on a longer release.

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