Matisyahu Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
As an American Hasidic Jewish reggae superstar, Matisyahu is an obvious outsider. After a debut album that felt live plus a follow-up album that was recorded live, the singer's ambition to do more with the studio presentation of his music left any sensible packaging up to the producer. The mismatch with fellow mystic Bill Laswell caused 2006's Youth to wander and sprawl, but industry vet David Kahne handles much of Light, and the difference is huge. Kahne packaged reggae-pop acts like Sublime and Fishbone -- whose members show up here -- before, but here he's primarily focused on Matisyahu's wide view, love of ancient history, and spiritual heart. The results are comparable to So and all the Peter Gabriel albums after, with high-tech and polish helping to drive home the artist's reverence and sense of wonder. Sounding like breakthrough hit "Chop 'Em Down"'s little brother, "Smash Lies" is an effective opener plus a dancehall-driven crowd-pleaser that'll give way to an album less reggae than any previous. Besides a little "singjay" in his vocal style, the grand, key track "One Day" has little to do with Jamaican music, and the equally moving "For You" is more likely influenced by Tears for Fears than Bob Marley. Joel Madden makes crunching punk-pop guitar the centerpiece of "Darkness into Light," and ethereal closer "Silence" could be passed off as from the Dave Matthews songbook if the lines written in Hebrew didn't give Matisyahu away. Whether using his voice as a whisper or as a giant call across nations, the depth of feeling comes through brilliantly, and if the musical soundscape isn't familiar, the empowering and sincere lyrics most definitely are. Add Kahne's instantly accessible production and Light is not only a welcome surprise, but an album that matches his debut. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On his fourth album in relatively quick succession, No Place to Be, Matisyahu pumps out nothing too adventurous. Indeed, most of the songs here have been present in some form or another on his previous albums. What No Place to Be does provide, though, is an excellent primer on the range that Matisyahu can cover. Top-flight dancehall in "Jerusalem" and "Chop 'Em Down," excellent covers in the form of "Message in a Bottle," thick dub remixing, and thumping beats when called for, in a remix of "Youth" (the title track from his previous album). The songwriting abilities and presentation are still entirely prevalent, as are high production values courtesy of Bill Laswell and Sly & Robbie. As an added bonus, the album is packaged with the Live in Israel DVD, which shows off one of the main factors that catapulted Matisyahu from relative obscurity to the limelight so quickly: his incredible stage presence (as well as some nice interviews and rather artsy scenic interludes). Shake Off the Dust and Youth may be somewhat larger albums with more original material, but No Place to Be provides a nice entry point for new listeners, as well as a fine live DVD. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Concurrent with his second studio album, Youth, Matisyahu released an intriguing collection of dub versions of his works, along with a few entirely new pieces. The album opens with the title track, and enough reverb and echo to make King Tubby proud. Because of the nature of dub itself, the focus leaves Matisyahu's vocals somewhat in favor of the instrumental portions and the twists given to their play. Highlights include the new pieces "Spark Seekers" and "Daughters Dub," with their thumping basslines and a renewed use of vocals, and "One Woman," which evokes Bob Marley to some degree in its tenderness for its subject. Regardless of whether the track is a new or old one, however, the dub is excellent. Dub is a little harder to sell a crowd than dancehall, so the album may prove to be a bit more hidden. Nonetheless, it's an excellent piece of work and might just be enough to push dub into mainstream consciousness just a bit. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
An orthodox Jew who kicks it dancehall style, Matisyahu may seem a gimmick, but he's the real deal. Unfortunately, he's struggling with the sophomore jinx on Youth, an album that expands upon his debut, 2004's Shake Off the Dust... Arise, without capturing its immediacy or excitement, thanks in large part to producer Bill Laswell. No stranger to genre-combining -- he's remixed Bob Marley and Miles Davis and is always up for any world music versus electronica excursion he's offered -- Laswell treats Matisyahu like so many of his previous subjects. He can't resist adding a sound effect swoop and other studio trickery to most tracks, and he often makes Matisyahu's band sound gigantic and polished when they're really tight and free. While the whole affair is great for showing off bass-heavy speakers, the live and exciting Matisyahu that makes the jam band crowd go crazy is hard to find and the tasteful studio touches of his home-brewed debut are absent. His material is also going through some growing pains, but there is growth and for every song that wanders a bit too much, there's a revelation that fleshes out the artist. The spiritual message was always bigger than the man before, but the sparse "What I'm Fighting For" is a surprisingly intimate track while "Dispatch the Troops" flippantly quotes the Police, an unexpected twist from a man who always seemed stately to a fault, even when he was doing the human beatbox thing. At the time of Youth's release, Shake Off the Dust... Arise was out of print and one has to wonder if Matisyahu's new label, Sony, was behind it. Arise's great "King Without a Crown" appears again here and Sony decides to push the single as if this is Matisyahu's grand entrance. That's a total misrepresentation of Youth, which is really more about a talented artist struggling with the pressures of topping his brilliant first album. Even if he didn't, and even if he or the label chose the wrong producer for the undertaking, Youth is meaty enough to suggest this man is no gimmick but an artist with his eye on the long haul. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Offering a taste of Matisyahu's exhilarating live show along with being an alternative to his more complex debut, Live at Stubb's presents "the Hasidic Reggae Superstar" in top form. While Shake Off the Dust...Arise had its dreamy, mystical, and more relaxed side, Stubb's is filled with rousing energy, with Matisyahu delivering his spiritual message with the punch of Elephant Man, Beenie Man, or whichever dancehall king you care to mention. The nothing-but-fun "Beat Box" represents how over the top and freewheeling the singer can be, while the between-song banter displays an approachable artist who feeds off an audience's enthusiasm. The highlights of Arise are all here, more anthemic sounding than ever, and Matisyahu's band is incredibly tight and responsive. A debut and then a live album might be a quirky release schedule, but following Arise with Stubb's is smart. His debut painted him as a thoughtful architect in the studio, while Stubb's suggests you better catch this exciting showman first chance you get. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Shake Off the Dust... Arise'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 17
Label J Dub
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This, the debut album from Matisyahu is a full-fledged announcement that he has arrived. Despite the varying levels of novelty-hype surrounding a Hasid taking the mic for dancehall reggae, Matisyahu is capable of performing at the highest levels. The style taken is primarily a high-energy form of dancehall, spit out in something of a patois, but primarily in English with passages of Yiddish and Hebrew. The lyrical content is generally devotional or moral, but also heads into solfage-style scatting from time to time. The reggae itself is solid, with a strong backing band and interesting sampling of older motifs from the roots reggae domain. Matisyahu himself is the real star here, able to slide from style to style smoothly. In portions (such as the heartbreaking "Father in the Forest"), he cries out with emotion rarely heard anymore. In portions he spits lyrics with a phrasing ability that alternately lopes and flies. In portions, he reduces the elements to the beatbox for sheer showmanship (probably not on the level of a Rahzel or Kenny Mohammed, but he's en route). Listen once for the novelty of the concept, then keep listening for the quality of the execution. Arguably one of the most noteworthy albums of the year. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
