Wednesday, February 14, 2007


Jinder – I’m Alive (Folkwit Records).

25 year old Jinder is described as a travelling singer/songwriter and storyteller. Certainly the travelling part of that statement is not in doubt as he has toured relentlessly in the UK, Europe and the USA for the last six years. I’m Alive is his second album and opens with the traditional Country offering, Hill Country. This is a bouncy and energetic start for the man who was previously a founder member of the alt.rock band, Candlefire, who enjoyed chart success in 2002 with Sorrow Spreads Its Wings. A Song To Myself veers over to the alt.country field and he shows that he can be successful in both fields. He sticks with modern Country for Train In Your Voice, a slow, searching song that will grow and grow on you. Jinder is now firmly in the Americana area and Travellin’ Song is a great, sing-along, sit by the fire kind of song. He is proving himself to be a class act and Cicadas Café only goes to cement that feeling before he speeds it up a little for Life, which is modern Country served up in a traditional style. This is augmented by some top class steel guitar playing from Melvin Duffy.

Townes’ Blues is a reflective homage to Townes Van Zandt and this slow Americana offering confirms my feeling that I think we have found a new star. You would swear that Jinder was an American (he’s actually from Bournemouth) by the way that he easily travels around the styles and in Vacancy Here we have a powerful song delivered in a velvet glove. Jinder shows that he can deliver a powerful vocal on In My Time of Dying and this sombre cover slips into John The Revelator for a moment before going off into Fixin’ To Die Blues. This is the only cover on the album and that is testament to Jinder’s confidence in his own songwriting ability. That confidence is exemplified on 1922 Blues, a gentle Americana song that is peaceful and stunning in its simplicity. There are some more gentle sounds on Hazel County. This time though, he adds lovely harmonies and has certainly pushed himself to the forefront of British Americana singers. The album finishes with Shake Me and he goes all electric for it. This sounds like Bo Diddley on speed and builds up very well as Jinder gets emotional towards the end.

Jinder is well worth a listen and I’m sure that given the right circumstances, he will be one of this years breakthrough artists.

http://www.jinder.co.uk/
http://www.folkwit.biz/

David Blue.

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