Combining the pop sounds of the day with music from India has been around since the heyday of psychedelic music in the late ’60s.
While it might be nothing truly new, it is often the case that one plays a nice-sounding keychain to the other. You really need to be versed and steeped in both to be able to come up with a combination where the two kinds of music that have completely different roots and sources work seamlessly together.
Ajay Mathur, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who was born in India and currently lives and works in Switzerland delivers his “I Need You Now” single, which seems to come up with the winning formula that does exactly that.
Mathur obviously knows modern pop, particularly its streak that has its roots in whatever The Beatles have come up with. But then it also just might come naturally to him to know exactly how to combine the elements of the music of his native India into the mix, without it either sticking out or being incongruous with the rest of the song.
And above all, it is an excellent pop song in its own right, with Mathur presenting his message in the most direct and pleasing way: “If nothing else, recent times have shown us how dearly we need human connection and closeness. Admitting that we are vulnerable or lonely is not always easy, but the rewards can be great. ‘I Need You Now’ is about stepping over our shadows and saying it out loud. I need you. Now! ”
Simple, effective pop at its best.
