| | |  | Rock | Home » » » Light | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 smash "King Without a Crown": Here was a true original, the song announced--a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu's Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard's reggae albums chart. True originals, though, don't stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there's much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. "As my musical tastes have grown I have been re-discovering my sound and my voice," he says. Light is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall ("Smash Lies") and ska-inflected New Wave ("We Will Walk") to laidback pop-rock ("So Hi So Lo") and acoustic folk-soul ("I Will Be the Light"). While reggae is far from absent here--see the old-school toasting in "Motivate"--Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. "Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it," he says. "This process is an ever-changing one." | | | Features: | |
• MATISYAHU LIGHT
| | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| August 25, 2009 | | Studio:
| Sony | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Format:
| Original recording | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 43 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | Smash Lies | | 2. | We Will Walk | | 3. | One Day | | 4. | Escape | | 5. | So Hi So Lo | | 6. | I Will Be Light | | 7. | For You | | 8. | On Nature | | 9. | Motivate | | 10. | Struggla | | 11. | Darkness into Light | | 12. | Thunder | | 13. | Silence | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 43 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
 Different does not equal bad...Sep 09, 2009
By A. Kohler
"andysavestheday"
My favorite Matisyahu album has always been and will always be the Live at Stubbs album. When a musician explodes into the public eye and people start listening, they become attached to that sound because that's what they fell in love with. When an artist puts out something new and ventures from that beloved sound, people automatically dismiss the new record. We all do it, especially with artists we love.
Light is different, there is no denying it. It's less reggae and much more rock and hip hop. Smash Lies is a stark contrast to what most people are used to from Matisyahu. It's a very layered song, littered with piano, hip hop beats and just about everything else but the reggae sound most Matisyahu fans are accustomed to. But it's not a bad song just because it's different.
The first four songs are some of the best songs I've heard in a long time. When Matisyahu puts out a greatest hits album, I expect Smash Lies, We Will Walk, One Day and Escape to be on there.
We Will Walk and One Day are very radio friendly, very rock and roll/pop and very uplifting and catchy. It's almost as if they were put out by a different artist. Perhaps they were. Perhaps Matisyahu is growing and changing. People change. Musical styles and tastes change. Just about everything changes. It's a natural part of progression. Stagnation exists when progression is absent. The reggae isn't gone. Listen to the last half of the album, especially Motivate, Darkness Into Light, On Nature and Thunder. That initial sound that most of us fell in love with isn't gone, it's just been built upon, the way a house is built upon a foundation. What's missing isn't as important as what is present in this record.
Light may not be as good as his other records, it may not have the same sound, but it's still a fabulous record full of spirit, heart and enjoyable music, something that seems to be an anomaly these days. All good artists grow and change, Matisyahu is no exception.
Matisyahu said in an article published a few months ago that he was tired of being known as the Jewish rapper. That's how people came to know him, that's how I first discovered him. I play Live at Stubbs for people and tell them about how I saw Matisyahu in Louisville, KY back in December and that it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. They ask me who Matisyahu is and I respond, "that Jewish rapper that has a reggae rock band" and they go "oh yeah, that guy."
He said in the article that he would rather be known as a human being. As fans, we put labels on artists. He became that Jewish rapper. There is no room for growth when you are a Jewish rapper. Eventually, you're going to run out of Old Testament and Torah to rap about. Then what? A human being is allowed to grow. There is room for growth and change as a human being. Light is different from Live at Stubbs and Youth and Shake off the Dust for a reason. Matisyahu is growing and changing, breaking out of the mold that had encased him over the years.
24 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Very disappointingSep 02, 2009
By Scott B. Saul
"opinionated, yet truthful, music critic"
I do not like this cd at all.
It is not that it is bad, on the contrary, it is more bold, experimental and different from his other outings.
Matisyahu acquired a lot of his fans by hitting the festival circuit. If you are a big "jam band" fan then you would have crossed paths with this artist. Live, he is absolutely a "jam band". I am a "jam band" guy.
I have no problem with Matisyahu going commercial (which he obvoiusly is), trying styles that I may not agree with or the overpreachy/cheesy lyrics. What really kills this work is how overproduced every song is. I like my music raw, stripped down...and in the genre of reggae, dub or hip hop, with lots of space between the instruments. This stuff is way too processed.
When you see him live, he has a smoking hot band but you would never know it from this work. Many of his songs, live, are beautifully drawn out and developed, but not on this shmaltzy work. His songs would venture into deep grooves, but not on this album.
This cd makes Matisyahu sound like an "American Idol" contestant rather than the very experienced performer that he is. It took a long time to release this and now I see why.
NOTE, he probably will pick up new fans with his new sound but you shouldn't totally eliminate what successful formula took you this far.
13 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Overproduced, disappointingAug 28, 2009
By HQuakers
I was eagerly waiting for this album to come out, but after listening through several times, I found myself disappointed. Matisyahu's earlier albums had a nice reggae/hip-hop beat, but this album relies almost entirely on the hip-hop feel. I felt like I was listening to Matisyahu's Dance Party. Matisyahu barely gets any solos in the songs and he is overshadowed by beats and backup, which is a shame because he has an incredible voice. This album reminded me of Chris Cornell's Scream album. Another great artist whose album was ruined by beats and overproduction. I still think you should purchase the album to support Matisyahu and you may enjoy it, but if you hate hip-hop like me you will only enjoy a handful of tracks.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Sophomore Slump?Jul 15, 2010
By T. Schley
For someone who achieved rapid fame with the impressive album "Youth," Matisyahu seemed to forget what made him so popular: the novelty of Hebrew Reggae artist who was dedicated to his art, but more so to his faith. He's lost that vibe in this album: it's more of a hip-hop blend, with little to no Reggae elements. The songs are well done, but not necessarily anything above the ordinary in today's music scene.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Took a while to warm up to, but much better than "Youth"Dec 14, 2009
By Quantum Kev
I am a big Matis fan, and absolutely loved "Live at Stubbs." I went to see him in 2006 here in Phoenix, and the show was awesome. I really appreciate the fact that his lyrics are positive and spiritual, and the fact that the music was good too was a big positive.
I was not very impressed with his second album, "Youth," and to be honest, listen to it very rarely.It's not that it's a bad album, it just seemed a little over produced, and none of the songs really seemed to grab me. Of course, he is not the first artist to fall to the "sophomore album curse," and given the freshness and vibrancy of "Live at Stubbs," it is hard to imagine that any studio album would be satisfying.
So when I got "Light," I wasn't sure what to expect. I had read some of the reviews here on Amazon, and was somewhat hesitant, but because I love what he stands for, and consider him a great musical artist, I picked it up. And I have to be completely honest - upon first listening, I did not like this album. It seemed that he had gone completely to the other end of the spectrum - a pop sound, a lot of production, and hip hop beats. But when I listened to the lyrics, they were still positive and uplifting.
But a funny thing happened as I kept listening to this album - I started really, really liking it. There are still some soungs that capture the reggae sound that people first came to love him for, like "Struggla"; there are some very beautiful songs that say extremely positive and hopeful things, like "One Day" (which should be the global national anthem, one of the best songs ever made by anyone), and the more tender song "I Will Be Light." I also like "We Will Walk" and "Thunder" very much, and all of the other songs are good as well.
And the more I listen to it, the more I like it. To me, that is often the mark of a truly great album - I don't like it at first, but it keeps growing on me. I do hope that he will cut back on the production a bit his next album, but I understand too that he has something to say, and he is trying to reach a wider audience than just those who like reggae. And I don't think we can fault him for that. This is a very good album, and if you like Matis and like positive music, pick it up - and be sure to listen to it several times before deciding whether you like it or not.
See all 43 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
