Ajay Mathur - Little Boat (Yakketeeyak)

Ajay Mathur has been carving his own path ever since the 70s in bands and solo, and his music has always bore the distinct mark of individuality; combining the sounds of both Mathur’s roots and his travels. Born in India, Mathur now resides in Switzerland, where he has found the most success, and his latest album, Little Boat, follows a recent series of solo albums. An entirely self-made product, the album has a raw, homegrown quality which is superbly produced, and is likely one of his best thematically as it deals with Mathur’s own personal issues from a number of angles, both cathartic and humorous.

It’s this juggling act which really sets Mathur apart, because the album is constantly balancing emotional ballads like “Little Boat” with fun NRBQ sounding blues romps like “Forget About Yesterday.” And it works. The more humorous songs ease the tension of the more cathartic gut-wrenchers, and likewise the latter give the former a greater sense of perspective. Somewhere in the middle exist fantastic little windows of Power Pop, including “While I’m Standing Here” and “Here’s The Love,” rounding the collection off nicely. Little Boat is not Mathur’s masterpiece, but the album does hint strongly that he may not be far off from it.