Jinder
Album: Crumbs Of Comfort
Label: Mighty Village
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.jinder.co.uk

Jinder has been knocking on the door for a few years now. In various guises (Candlefire, Mercurymen, PR Dewhurst) he has been plying his trade as a songwriter of quiet renown, but it is in his own name that he deserves to shine brightest and this latest set of songs is, by some way, his most accomplished to date.

On first listen the songs sound incredibly unadorned, but further inspection reveals there's plenty going on courtesy of a cast of extras that's topped by former Jamiroquai guitar slinger Simon Johnson and the deft keyboards touch of co-producer Stephen Darrell Smith. Musically, Crumbs of Comfort is the sound of Jinder finding his feet, embracing a broader palette of subtle tones and having the confidence to let the songs breathe.

Just as impressive is the way he has allowed his lyrics to tell the stories without recourse to forcing a clever couplet where simplicity would do. Album opener, The Birds Will Still Be Singing casts a weathered eye over Broken Britain and searches vainly for optimism. It could well be Jinder's best song to date. It definitely lays down a marker, which he would do well to return to, both artistically and in terms of reportage.

The impossibly happy-sounding The Day That Peace Broke Out manages to co-opt Mungo Jerry's trademark jug band lurch to propel a tragic lyric about family breakdown; while To Feel Your Love takes an entirely different view of personal relationships and Paper Planes is happy to feel the sunshine on its face.

The world created on Crumbs of Comfort doesn't duck harsh reality, but neither does it wallow in misery - it's a place where good things happen if you look for them and understanding bad things only makes you appreciate the better stuff more. In that sense the record fully justifies Jinder's sleeve dedication to the late, great Jackie Leven - a man who was no stranger to telling it like it is, although he often preferred to tell it like he thought it should be.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk