Time to to go somewhere new.3 Out Of 5 Stars
Basically a Re-mix EP partnered with a full-length concert CD, Matisyahu's "No Place To Be" is best reviewed as a concert disc. And "Live In Israel" is one average performance. Matisyahu is a charismatic person, but he's a static performer. He does have a crack band, and they deliver on his songs. He just needs a little more animation (and this from a man who got some of the original attention to his shows because he was a Hasidic Jew who would stage dive in full regalia).
The songs on the EP are decent, but only two are new. He does well with Sting's "Message in a Bottle," and the brand new "Warrior" matches anything on Youth. Then there are re-presentations of two of his best songs, "Jerusalem" and "Chop 'Em Down." Add three remixes of "Youth," "Message In A Bottle" and an absolute wretched deconstruction of "Jerusalem," and you have the EP. After two studio and one live albums, this is spreading his so-far meager catalog a bit thin.
Not the best introduction to a performer whom I think is extraordinary when he's 100% on, "No Place To Be" is easily bypassed. If you want a concert Matisyahu, hit the Live At Stubbs, or get the studio albums "Youth" or the recent Light.
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