By Deuce

‘Heartfelt’ is the most apt descriptor for the latest selection of songs from Ajay Mathur on his LP entitled Blow My Cover. Doesn’t matter if he’s working his way through a ballad or an upbeat number, a down home bluegrass tune or something more electronica-oriented. His voice, and the lyrics he espouses, are all genuine-sounding, authentic, and worthy of patient reflection.

Sometimes, the message is so cordial that the number appears to be transparent, as is the case on “For a Friend of Mine”. The tune’s endowed with some serious piano work—which is at variance with the plethora of guitars that characterizes most of the album—parts of it sparkling like the sun splaying against a passively playful river.

But there’s a definite undercurrent of solemnity, underscored by the low notes of some sort of stringed instrument that could well be a violin. And, of course, there’s his voice, belting out lines like: “The air that we breathe and the joy that we share/you are my friend I can depend on”. It’s the stuff that greeting cards of made of, particularly with the ballad-feeling of the song and the authenticity with which Mathur graces it.

The most straight ahead cut with the greatest potential for mass appeal is likely the album’s opener, “Forget About Yesterday”. Mathur’s laying it down on at least two acoustic guitar tracks with a certified honky tonk or blues appeal. However, the real treat on this one (as is true for most of the LP) is the vocals. Imbued with a catchy melody, his singing is an adept complement to the guitar riffs. When the four-on-the-floor beat kicks in, with the snare sounding like an actual handclap on every note, it’s clear the artist has something special on this one.

“Little Boat” is another ballad with a surfeit of decidedly different guitars. They’re not the typical, rockish electric guitars, but those that bend and stretch, like the setting of the sun, perhaps—or like they’re ready for a conversation or two. Nevertheless, he removes the bass and the drums for most of the verses, once again highlighting the sincerity of the words he sings. That’s a definite theme on this oeuvre, one that works well for the singer songwriter, and which perhaps should be duplicated by others in his profession.