Upbeat Twist on Dad’s Legacy

Chatting up her audience with sweet-tempered breeziness on Saturday at McCabe’s, singer-songwriter Shana Morrison at first seemed like the exact opposite of her famous father, rock legend Van Morrison, who has a reputation for being terse and disagreeable.

But the 28-year-old Northern Californian soon showed her kinship with the bluesy “Punchline,” a savvy indictment of record executives’ empty promises that recalled her dad’s vehement distaste for the music business.

Bookending the first of two sets with faithful renditions of her father’s “Sweet Thing” and “Naked in the Jungle,” Morrison and her quintet presented a casual yet polished hour of songs from their debut CD, “Caledonia,” along with tunes by Ray Charles and folk-blues artist Brownie McGhee that demonstrated her broad appreciation of pop’s roots. Recalling her dad’s stylistic variety, the originals ranged from genteel folk-pop a la Natalie Merchant to meatier, soul- and funk-flecked rock.

Morrison has clearly been influenced by her dad, but songs such as the upbeat “I Spy” and the jangling “My Reason” displayed a charming and offbeat sensibility all her own, along with strong hooks that suggest a bright future in pop.