My Amazon Reviews: Matisyahu "Akeda"

He's your "Hasidic reggae superstar"
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Matisyahu knows who he wants to be, and as your "Hasidic reggae superstar" (as he refers to himself on the song "Watch The Walls Melt Down" and "Confidence"), he's out to deliver his upbeat and spiritual message by hip-hop, reggae and rap beats and singing. At least he's aware that he's got that market cornered. That's not a bad thing. In a musical genre that usually depends on telling you just what a piece of crap the world is, Matisyau wants you to listen to him cheer you on until you become a "Champion." (One of a few very poppy songs on "Akeda.")

Between the soul searching ("Surrender") and the dancehall party songs (the excellent first single "Watch The Walls Melt Down"), Matisyahu is happy to mix styles and emotions into a coherent album. You can pick the messenger, be it you or God as defined by Matisyahu's Jewish roots, just as long as you feel it. I think his previous album, "Spark Seeker," was a bit more adventurous, but "Akeda" still shows Matisyahu in control of his message and image, and refusing to be pigeon-holed.

     

My Amazon Reviews: UB40 "Greatest Hits"

...Goes to My Head
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Probably the most successful reggae band in the world (and at the very least in terms of American success), UB40 started life as a leftist political band and ultimately ended up a bizarrely successful cover band. Their name taken from the UK equivalent of an Unemployment form, this "Greatest Hits" collection does a real good job of making sure that you'll discover that the band was more than just their reggae-fied takes on 60's and 70's oldies.

Vocalist Ali Campbell had plenty of swagger and that helped to make the protest songs (like "One In Ten," a slap at Margaret Thatcher) convincing. He could also croons convincingly, as he does on "Please Don't Make Me Cry." The cover of the Gospel standard "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" presented Ali as a soulman, and the song became popular after being adopted by the 2003 English Rugby team. Ali and his brother Robin were formidable songwriters, and the bulk of the songs were full band efforts.

But it was the covers that made them stateside success, and they're all here. The breakthrough version of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine" is here, but in its single version (minus the toasting of member Terence "Astro" Wilson) and that holds my review from being 5 stars. (Also a minus, no real information/liner notes/photography other than songtitles and album credits.) The three "Labour Of Love" collections was where the bulk of the covers were taken, including the Temptations' "The Way You Do the Things You Do," Al Green's "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)." Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love," came from "Promises and Lies," and their version of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" (with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders) came from "Baggariddim," but was one of the band's first US hits. They'd try that duet trick again with "Breakfast In Bed," to lesser results.

The band eventually fell into the trap of aiming at the cover version singles as their bread and butter, losing their edge as a band. But the singles across all the albums were always UB40's strong suit, and this "Greatest Hits" spotlights the band in their heyday (before Ali left). You can choose your speed...the ultra-poppish covers or the stinging reggae of "If It Happens Again" or "Kingston Town." Either way, you'll come out ahead.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Bob Marley and The Wailers "Legend"

The Red Sox, Shane Victorino and Bob Marley
5 Out Of 5 Stars

It was the World Series that drew me back to Bob Marley and The Wailers' "Legend." I hadn't pulled it out for awhile, but then Shane Victorino began using "Three Little Birds" as his walk-on music, and the Boston Crowd would boisterously sing "every little thing's gonna be all right." That was enough for me to put this in the car for a couple of weeks, and reminded me of just how great an anthology "Legend" is. It even surprised me in that I'd forgotten that "One Love" was squeezed into an episode of "Glee." If that doesn't sound of universal appreciation, I don't know what does.

It still boils down to the music. Marley championed reggae as a style that could be more than just the sound of Jamaica. In doing so, he became a global superstar, made even more iconic by his untimely death in 1981, a mere 36 years old. That makes "Legend" all the more amazing when you realize that these sixteen songs came out of a burst of activity that lasted from 1973 till his passing. It's an irresistible mix of songs that included songs that became international hits like "Buffalo Soldier," "Jammin'" and "One Love," among so many others. His music inspired many other artists to take songs and make them popular in other means, like "Jammin'" for Stevie Wonder, "I Shot The Sheriff" for Eric Clapton and "Waiting in Vain" for Annie Lennox, among others.

It's easy to listen to this and feed off the mellow vibes, but Marley was just as much an assertive political figure. "Get Up Stand Up" and "Redemption Song" were as forceful songs as anything from the 60's folk-protest years in America. Every song here is potently powerful, be they the "Songs of Freedom" "Redemption Song" calls for or the lovely "Stir It Up" (also transposed into an American hit by Johnny Nash). "Legend" is a CD that holds together as a single album, where every track matters and you'll not be wanting for any track to end so you can get to better ones. Thanks to the Red Sox for reminding me just why I enjoyed this album in the many years since I first listened to it in the 80's.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Matisyahu "Spark Seeker"

Squeezing Out Sparks
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Matisyahu must have known his number was just about up. "Spark Seeker" finds him ditching the eclecticism of "Light" and "Youth" for a more electronic, hip hop (read, mainstream) sound. There's a lot of Auto-tuning and phase-shifted vocals and some guest appearances (rapper Shyne being the biggest name). In the biggest concession of all, gone are the huge beard and Hasidim garb. Heck, he's on a motorcycle on the album's inner-photo.

What this means for the music is actually very little. Middle Eastern influences are melded into the hip-hop and rap; right from the beginning with one J.Ralph, he kicks off what sounds like a call to prayer ("Crossroads"). Hebrew choruses and verses mix in with the ultra slick beats, courtesy of producer Kool Kojak. Kojak's credits are mainly along the lines of Ke$sha, Nicki Manaj, Katy Perry and many others, so you know this was a crafted sonic move. But Matisyahu can't help it. He remains as eclectic as ever with a greater - if that is possible - sense of being an uplifting force in his music.

There's a smooth sax solo in "Summer Wind," and a powerful lyric in "Fire Of Freedom" and slinky groove of "Tel Avivin'." Which is not a false way to groove as the man recorded "Spark Seeker" both in Los Angeles and Israel. Matisyahu took his own journey to make this album in the personal and mystical sense, with the end result being his tightest and possibly his most provocative disc to date.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Matisyahu "No Place to Be/Live in Israel"

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.