GOOGLE PLAY: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tpvv6dq5rrrpbznfmt2meciwzn4?play=1
Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Ajay Mathur continues to release enjoyable music. “Start Living Again” has keen reminders to forge ahead and embrace love. Taking little time to engage the listener, the song is surprisingly perky with free-spirited emotions and inspiration. The track is off of Mathur’s Little Boat, released in 2018. From the sound of the track, it’s understandable why the Swiss-resident continues to use the album as a beacon and anchor.
Mathur said in his official press release that “Start Living Again” is “not a sad song or broken heart song.” I concur. There’s a touching way that Mathur comforted me as a listener – his voice is suave, friendly. The beat to the song is 60s-esque. It’s along the lines of The Birds, a less poppy tune from The Monkees and even strays a bit into the Third Eye Blind realm. Fans of Cat Stevens will certainly be taken aback by this lovely tune, too.
The video for “Start Living Again” is mix of a lyric video with building (literal buildings) as well as shapes formulating, juxtaposed by fiery destructive images. Visually the video is heavy with turquoise-teal-blues and red bursts. I found that interesting because as a listener the song evoked colors of the fall – reds, yellows, greens and rusts. Mathur painted such a clear picture in my mind, outside of the music video, that made me dive into challenging worlds that I may have forgotten. But I made it through those worlds…though they seemed so trying at the time. When is the last time a song did that for you? Kudos to Mathur for delivering me to far-off places of my mind’s cob-webbed memory.
Born and raised in India, Mathur now calls Switzerland home. I can’t say that “Start Living Again” felt especially European or worldly while listening, but the song does strike me as universal. Mathur has instant rapport. He seems to easily tap into the human connection of wanting more, of loving more, and being one’s best self. Not every listener might have a destructive relationship, or a tragedy, but one can surmise that as humans we’ve all had to overcome obstacles of any size or shape. This song, “Start Living Again” is a positive reinforcement to find the beauty in the struggle and to cling onto the strength of one’s own heat, mind and soul.
It seems that in the year 2019, music listeners still yearn for songs of chaos or angry art. It’s a reflection of the times, yes, and there are some deeply troubling events happening. Still, it’s beyond refreshing to hear an artist like Mathur tackle a subject like heartbreak or loss without adding more fuel to the fire. “Start Living Again” is honest. It’s deep without feeling like it’s heavy prose or just one more emotion to sponge. “Start Living Again” is a solid song with clean guitars, excellent vocals and a pesky percussion that never fails. If you like songs that build you up and fill you up with confidence and love – “Start Living Again” is a start.
YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16oYZTOoxPE
Jamie Morse