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June 16, 2006
Matisyahu makes it bigger
Reggae star crosses into the mainstream with his latest disc.
KATHARINE HAMER EDITOR
It's not so long since Matisyahu – formerly known as Matthew
Miller – had to clamor to be heard on the Jewish party circuit.
Now, his second album, Youth, is available at Starbucks.
The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200, as Matisyahu's last
effort, Live at Stubb's, sat at #36 on the chart, making
the Chassidic reggae star the only artist with two albums in the
Top 40 at once.
Matisyahu takes a slightly different tack to kick off this compilation.
Both the first two tracks, "Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth"
and "Youth" have much more of a hard-driving feel than
his earlier work, with the latter sounding, at times, almost like
something Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor would produce.
More effective is the lyrical "Time of Your Song," with
a dubby electronic backdrop, an uplifting chorus and a more recognizable
tribute to his maker. "I'm the arrow," he sings, "you're
my bow/shoot me forth and I will go."
Then there's the eminently danceable "Jerusalem," in which
Matisyahu encourages Diaspora Jews to be proud of their past –
"Jerusalem, if I forget you/let my right hand forget what it's
supposed to do..." and stay connected; stay visible, despite
years of persecution: "... erase the demons out of our memory/change
your name and your identity/afraid of the truth and our dark history/why
is everybody always chasing we/cut off the roots of your family
tree/don't you know, that's not the way to be?"
The remainder of the album – bar the remix of Matisyahu's biggest
hit, "King Without a Crown" – is somewhat forgettable,
with a mish mash of musical styles (including, bizarrely, a harpist);
heavy-handed lyrics about how bad drugs are and a Bob Marley-ish
tribute to Mrs. Matisyahu in "Unique is My Dove."
That said, the best songs on the album make this CD worth buying.
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