There isn’t much to say about Matisyahu’s whole shtick that hasn’t been said before. Of course, if you’re not familiar with him, it’s appropriate that I fill you in on his deal. He used to be a stoner who followed Phish around. Then he found himself at a rehabilitation facility. Then he became a Hassidic Jew who raps over reggae beats.
Unfortunately, this decorated past of his has led many to call him a “poser,” and consequently, it kind of leads people away from his music. In fact, I never really delved into his catalogue until one fateful evening when some friends and I were driving around, and Matisyahu’s debut CD, Shake Off The Dust, Arise, came on. Sometimes it takes a forced listening experience to get past one’s stubborn musical tastes.
There’s no way around it-his music is excellent. His new CD, Youth, follows the same vein of excellence-to an extent. It seems as though he has compromised some of the brilliance evident on his first CD in order to make Youth more user-friendly.
The CD, in my opinion, and contrary to most other critics’ opinions, starts off relatively slowly and predictably. There definitely isn’t the bang present that Shake Off the Dust, Arise had in the first few tracks. For the most part, Youth doesn’t really pick up until Matisyahu ditches the ever-present snappy and quirky reggae riffs and picks up the acoustic guitar for “What I’m Fighting For,” an excruciatingly honest-sounding song about what else, his religion! A well-played duo of mere vocals and acoustic guitar can nail either the horrific end of the spectrum, or the oh-so-stimulating end of the spectrum, and Matisyahu definitely stimulates the ear drums in “What I’m Fighting For.”
After the acoustic escape, Matisyahu comes back in with easily his most pop-inspired track on the CD, “Jerusalem.” Although it sounds as though it was clearly made to appeal to a broad audience, it doesn’t negate the fact that the song is just as satisfying as his best material. It has a real catchy sound, coupled with some more good lyrics talking about religion-which don’t really make a ton of sense but sound cool when he sings them: “Jerusalem if I forget you / Let my right hand forget what it’s supposed to do.”
If you’re looking for something to get you started with Matisyahu, I suggest heading for Shake Off The Dust, Arise first, as it is more of a real, genuine and palpable record. Although Youth has a couple of bright spots here and there, it really does seem like Matisyahu lost a little bit of his luster along the way. Unfortunately, most sophomore efforts end up being a bit disappointing in comparison to the first record-the list of victims is endless. So, if you’re for being cost-conscious, don’t buy Youth; buy Shake Off The Dust, Arise, as it is one of the better CDs of this otherwise crummy time for music.
