Leaving a major label and a successful band to pursue a solo - and independent - music career might sound insane to some musicians.

For singer/songwriter Jason Plumb, it was a necessary move that has proven quite liberating.

Plumb first came to prominence as frontman with acclaimed alt-rock outfit The Waltons, a fact that's probably been printed on almost every gig poster since his departure. Forming in Regina in the late '80s, The Waltons quickly rocketed to notoriety with their 1992 debut Lik My Trakter, which sold so well as an indie release that a record deal with Warner followed soon after.

The music industry grind ultimately soured songwriting for Plumb, and 1998's Empire Hotel was The Waltons' last record. Plumb ditched the sky-scraped horizon of Toronto and returned home to Saskatchewan - where his intended sabbatical from the music biz actually led to a fruitful solo career.

Beauty in this World, Plumb's second and most recent solo record, recorded with his backing band The Willing, is a nod to how much things have changed for the singer, who recorded the entire album himself.

"I took it all on myself, and that was big for me," Plumb says, on the road to Saskatoon. "There was no producer, no engineer. I did it all myself in my own studio.

"I guess I wanted to see if I could do it. It took longer, but I think it turned out well. Just knowing when to say it was good enough - and when to say it was shit - was the hard part. It never seems like the final take when you're doing it yourself. There's no producer to say 'OK, that's great. Let's move on.'"

Still, there's nothing about the record that suggests it was recorded at home. Teaming up with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Plumb added some shimmery strings to the album - a fitting soundscape for the soul-baring songwriting fans have come to expect from Plumb.

"It's a little more of a grown-up record," he says. "I'm a married man now, so my views about relationships and life come from a different place. It's a pretty downbeat record."

Actually finding a record might pose a bit of a challenge.

"It's available in a few stores and offstage, but it's a limited release for sure," Plumb says. "There's no major label support, but I'm on a very supportive indie label and it's getting out there."

Limited releases are another indie rock reality that Plumb hasn't really had to face since the '80s but the singer/songwriter says that he doesn't miss the industry bullshit that comes along with being in a successful band - his music is his.

"The Waltons was a different time," Plumb says. "Making and selling records was very different then. I know what it's like to be in a successful band, and it's just not about that this time.

"It got really hard and stressful towards the end, and I don't miss that pressure, especially the pressure to write 'successful' songs," he continues. "Now I write for me and my band."