Every once in a while, an album comes out from an artist that's pegged as a "gimmick act" but actually shows itself to be an intensely original, skillful, and generally awesome work. Actually, I'm kidding. This hasn't really happened. Gimmick groups come and go with the tide and rarely have the talent to back up their schtick. Worn out, they eventually try to make good music or fade into the darkness of obscurity.* At least, this has never occurred before the emergence of Matisyahu. Bottom line: Matisyahu is the most surprising musical act in my memory, short and riddled with childhood problems as it may be. Who would have thought that Hasidic Jewish reggae would rule so much. That's right. Go ahead and read the sentence again. Matisyahu is an artist that performs HASIDIC JEWISH REGGAE. I can almost hear your eyes rolling through the internet. I thought the same thing when I first heard the concept of orthodox jewish reggae- "Cute gimmick but it probably sucks"
and then I heard the music. It didn't take very long for to realize that Matisyahu does not f*ck around. Matisyahu has the talent to back up what most would regard as a cheap gimmick. From the chilled out sounds of the very first track, "Sea to Sea", to the very last track, I doubt there is anyone who can say that this album is somehow not fantastic reggae. Matisyahu's voice rings and holds notes with a dignified beauty that easily set this apart from even top of the line "normal" reggae acts.
Matisyahu's lyrical inspiration comes straight out of the bible. He recounts the tales of Joseph, sings about the destruction of the Temple, shamelessly exalts the one creator, and more. All the while, Matisyahu's voice jumps from divinely held notes to the quick energy of rhyming breaks(Lets not forget the fantastic human voice beat-box performance on the track "Beat Box").
The backing music carves a perfect picture for his lyrics if the bible had taken place in a laid back Jamaican hotel. If there's any question of the musical talent of the backing band, I'd refer you to the total rocking solo in "King Without a Crown."
In general, wasting any more time reading this review is pointless, as your time should be spent checking out this album, as it's originality, honesty, and mood will appeal to nearly everyone. I'm ending this review early so you can get on with learning more about Matisyahu on your own.
Sure to please: Probably everyone.
Sure to disappoint: jerks.
*Not you GWAR. Yeah your music is quite mediocre, but you guys are and forever will be legends. There's nothing that compares to the concept of a GWAR performance.
