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Matisyahu performs in Des Moines 07/03/09 Lance Rafdal
New music Tuesday comes around for another week, and there is a new release that has been on my radar for a couple of months. As many of you know, one of my favorite performers at this years 80/35 festival was Matisyahu, and his latest album “Light” hits shelves and digital stores today (8/25/09). To me Matisyahu is on of the most unique musicians in the business today. His combination of reggae and hip hop, paired with is message based heavily in his faith (he is a Hasidic Jew) combine to make some of the most inspirational, and beautiful music I have heard in some time.
Matisyahu has had the whole new album up to stream on his MySpace page for the last few days, so I have had a chance to listen to each track a few times and am blown away. The single “One Day” has been released for some time, and it is a beautiful song that dabbles a little more into the folk side of music, but brings in the heavy beats and the reggae based vocals to round it out. Another track that has been around for a few weeks at least is “Smash Lies”. This track is almost 180 degrees from “One Day”, in that it is heavy on electronic effects, beats and very heavily hip hop influenced. The sound of this track could almost be mistaken for an Eminem track in its structure, and overall sound. Of course, the lyrics would be very different, and Matisyahu’s voice is much better than Eminem’s, so the reggae style chorus would probably not work for Em. “I Will Be Light” is a very nice stripped down track. With just an acoustic guitar, and some subtle beats behind for a little structure, Matisyahu’s voice is the focus for this one. One last track that I want to mention is “Darkness Into Light”. This one has heavy rock feel, in the guitars at least. Of course, the vocals are still the reggae/hip hop style but the rock guitar is a major part of this song. It really gives Matisyahu a new pallet to work with. This is they type of song that could open him up to a rock audience. It is better than most songs put out by the rock/hip hop, new metal bands that have been in heavy rotation the last five years or so.
One of my favorite things about Matisyahu is the message he is delivering in his music. It is a message of hope; hope for humanity, for yourself, and all of our futures. It is hard to listen to his music and not feel better about yourself, and everyone else. For one of the best examples of that, take a look at the video below. It is the video for the new single “One Day” and it is one of the most positive songs I have ever heard. Try to listen to this song and not feel better about the future in front of you. This is just a taste. For the full experience, I highly recommend purchasing “Light” for your collection. Or, at the very least, head to the MySpace page and take a listen for free, and see if you don’t feel better about yourself. In my opinion, it’s better than any anti-depressant on the market.
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