Jinder
The Dusty Roads EP
Predominantly led by acoustic guitar, The Dusty Roads EP is a demonstration of the songwriting and vocal talents of ex-Candlefire front-man Jinder. With 500 gigs under his belt and an almost daily schedule of appearances across the UK, he must be one of the hardest working musicians in the world.
A piano lays down the path into the first track, ‘Love Surrounds Me’. A series of emotional builds and falls is accompanied by a musical play between subdued instrumentation and heart warming lyrics. This song sets the tone for the record, even though each song takes a different approach. If you like this track, the other three that follow will also bring plenty of pleasure.
‘A Song to Myself’ is a two-minute dash through a strong verse and memorable chorus. Jinder manages to do this a couple of times before leaving the listener in two minds as to whether to skip back and listen to it again (just to see how good it was) or move on to the next track (as it could be even better). The answer is almost definitely probably both, which will no doubt confuse the average CD player.
The next song is the title track, ‘Dusty Roads’, which has a folk feel to the guitar and melody that is also reflected in the song structure, as it starts with hints of a chorus that gradually take over from the verse.
Final song, ‘Everyone I Know is Falling Apart’, has a great chorus that pops up in quite unexpectedly. The melody is difficult to remember, but it still makes me want to sing along so I can engage with the emotion that is packed within.
Jinder’s lyrics are inspired equally by women, love, and heartbreak on the one hand and self-discovery, drugs, and alcohol on the other (although without the usual strange drug-induced lyrical style and the standard self-sorrow that normally follows the heartbreak). What makes these lyrics really special is that each song covers so many of these subjects in one hit.
Lyrics aside, the music is also top-notch, especially the vocal which is warm, powerful, and full of confidence.
Jinder’s solo album is due in March 2005 and I, for one, cannot wait to hear it.
Written by Smith on
