MUSIC REVIEWS
Matisyahu - Youth
David Allun Jones
When future generations take a look at what kind of music mattered in 2006, we’ll have the same “wtf?” reaction to the success of Matisyahu in the same way we do Vanilla Ice or Snow (remember the Canadian reggae rapper who brought us “Informer”?). A rapping Hasidic Jew simultaneously influenced by Bob Marley and Phish is slowly gaining attention for his oddly transfixing blend of roots-reggae, jam-band rock, ska and hip hop, a strange addition to the pop music landscape. For Youth, his follow-up to the live concert album Live At Stubb’s, the pressure is on for the music to be just as interesting as the obvious novelty factor surrounding his character description.
Though Youth is his third album, Matisyahu seems on the verge of household name status now thanks to the crossover success of “King Without A Crown”, a holdover from his 2004 debut Shake Off The Dust…Arise, that closes Youth in a polished, studio revision. One listen to the song and it’s clear why so many people are jumping on his bandwagon. Even if his heartfelt plea of love to a Higher Power doesn’t move you, the song’s galloping grooves and Matisyahu’s melodious vocals will, culminating in an overwhelmingly rich musical experience. It’s also the only great representation of all that Matisyahu has to offer.
The rest of Youth struggles to land on it’s feet, mostly because of Matisyahu’s overbearing preaching and varied production styles. It’s nice to hear someone offering so much divine inspiration and it’s abundantly clear that Matisyahu holds his religion dear, but too many clunky rhymes and cornball expressions quickly steal his thunder away. It doesn’t take long before the intimate look into one man’s spirituality grows from endearing to manically oppressive. An excessive amount of songs about having high morals and walking down the path to enlightenment follow a holier-than-thou sentiment that’ll have you feeling like you’re destined to go to Hell. Meanwhile, bits and pieces stolen from modern rock, digitized dancehall and acoustic pop work on their own but make for a disjointed album. His delivery, on the other hand, may be a little one note but it coasts nicely, switching from classic reggae crooning to a swift-paced, Bone: Thugs-inspired tongue twisting style at the drop of the dime.
A live setting would probably be a much-preferred setting to enjoy Matisyahu as the studio seems to be too constricting and forced to make his unconventional musical methods sound accessible. On-stage, Matisyahu’s message would come across better and the wide-ranging music influences and random beat-boxing and operatic vocalizing would prove more acceptable since a band would be able to experiment more openly with the prototypes these recordings suggest. Chalk this up as an anomalous moment when the planets have aligned and something different managed to fall through the cracks and find a home on pop music. In a few months, the hype will die down and Matisyahu will be the album curious listeners were embarrassed to have ever owned.
