Alright, so I know this guy's not really a rabbi. I just couldn't resist making a Weird Al reference. Don't write me letters, people.

Matisyahu, or Matthew Miller as he was originally known before his conversion, is a Jew, however. He's also a reggae singer. That might seem like an odd combination to some of you, but given that Christian artists have tried everything from heavy metal to gangsta rap, it shouldn't really be that odd that members of other religions would branch out into various genres of music as well. I've heard it all from the Christian end of the spectrum, and wondered at times why we don't hear of "Buddhist rock" or "Muslim rap" or "Wiccan jazz" or whatever. And then I realized, that's probably because these folks didn't set up a whole separate industry for themselves. Musicians who are of those various religious persuasions have, for the most part, just played to a general audience. Some express their beliefs through their music, others are more subtle, but they've all had to sink or swim in a larger pool. And Matisyahu is no different. The guy wears his faith on his sleeve pretty clearly through his lyrics, but because he's simply good at what he does, he's attracted fans from various belief systems and lifestyle. When he showed up for two tracks on an album by Christian rockers P.O.D., I figured his solo material might be worth checking out. (A personal recommendation from The Elms' guitarist Thom Daugherty didn't hurt, either.) And now I'm grooving' to Youth, and largely enjoying the experience.

Now I'm not a reggae expert. I know enough to recognize those laid-back guitar downstrokes and little splashes of piano and/or organ, and get visions of swaying palm trees in my head. I've heard a lot of reggae mixed with rock, be it in the form of ska, or in the form of rap/rock bands like P.O.D. and Pax217 who break into a laid-back island groove here and there. But I'm not a purist about it, so I don't know how much of Matisyahu's work is typical of reggae, and how much of it is more of a hybrid. I do know that I'm detecting some hip-hop influence in the production on a few tracks, while others might have a raging guitar solo that you might expect from a rock band. And you might even get some laid-back acoustic stuff here and there. It's a fun mixture - I like music that displays its many colors. Trade Rastafari for Judaism, trade Jamaica for Israel, and trade Jah for... well, Jah (the Hebrew name "Jehovah" is actually what "Jah" was derived from), and it'll become clear that the transplant isn't that difficult to make. Matisyahu might be a man with a formidably traditional appearance, big 'ol beard and all, but this isn't some sort of a novelty joke like Pat Boone's album of heavy metal covers, or Weird Al's "Amish Paradise" video. He's serious about this marriage of Torah teaching and prophecy with music inspired by personal heroes such as Bob Marley and Phish. (Hey wait, Phish isn't reggae, they're a jam band... oh, wait, that sort of makes sense.) And it seriously works. For the most part.

I say "for the most part" because there are some elements of Youth that take a little getting used to. For starters, Matisyahu's voice is a bit nasal. At times he can even sound slightly off-key. There's always a sense of authenticity and passion to what he's singing about, but it's his ability to ramble through the words quickly, alliterate and rhyme things, and even beatbox that jumps out at me more than the sound of his pipes when he's holding a note. Sometimes he strings together phrases awkwardly, and I won't beat around the bush - I like most of these songs for their general feeling and groove, not so much because I think their lyrics are brilliant. That may be a result of slang (or occasionally Yiddish!) that I personally don't understand, but sometimes I just think it's the need for the verbal flow to sound good that ends up trumping the actual lyrics. (I griped about the same thing on P.O.D.'s album.) It's not a serious hindrance to enjoying the album, but every now and then a cheesy line will jump out at me, one of those types of things where I'd cry foul if it was a Christian band, so I have to be fair and do the same here.

Nitpicks aside, Youth is a wonderful album for kicking back at the end of a long day and thanking G-d (he's an Orthodox Jew, so I have to omit the vowel when referencing the Almighty!) for the good things in life, or just for being alive. There's angst, intensity, and turmoil presnt here, but the overall feeling is one of celebration and gratitude. Matisyahu's choice of words may smack of self-righteousness to some who listen, but I can connect with most of what he's singing about, since his Scriptures comprise a good 2/3 of mine, and because he matches the words to the musical context quite well. I never thought I'd get into this sort of thing, but well, here I am, so I'll do my best to describe Youth's tracks from the perspective of a relative newbie to reggae.

Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth
The poor man has it all, but not content with anything
While the rich man's hands are empty, but he's sitting like a king...
Matis gets things going in a hurry with rolling cymbals and warm organ tones, and before too long he's getting into it with some tricky verbal acrobatics. Yep, it doesn't take long for this guy to impress, even if the tone of his voice and pronunciations like "fire descends from on hoigh" take a little getting used to. (I'm sure it's not an unusual thing in reggae.) There's a rap break midway through, and all things considered, this is a good intro to Matisyahu's style, before he makes a few left turns on later songs. It's a reverent song speaking of "heavenly fire" that "resides on an altar made from the ground", and it quickly and efficiently does its thing and things makes a very smooth transition into the next track.

Youth
Some of them trust their instincts, that something's missing from the show
Some don't fit society, their insides are crying low
Some of them teachers squashed the flame 'fore it had a chance to grow...
The title track comes slamming in a little harder with guitars and drums thrashing, before giving way to a hurried verse that takes a minute before it's apparent where each measure starts and ends. I like tricky rhythmic stuff like that. Matisyahu is spouting off the foibles of his own generation, basically describing them as having a whole lot of passion but knowing how to channel it into something useful. While the trasnition from verse to chorus seems to mar the song's flow just a little bit, it's a powerful and memorable chorus, where he cries, "Young man, control in your hand, slam your first on the table and make your demand", which later leads into an eerie tag in which he sounds almost disembodied, wailing, "Youth is the engine of the world". (Due to the enunciation, it sounded like "Youth extension of the world" - a lot of these lyrics didn't make sense to me until I decided to actually read them.) And we get a reprise of the thrashing intro, just for fun. It's an interesting homage to the singer's generation - not fully backing the unbridled angst, but also not being condescending about it, as if to say, "This is just who we are, and we can get a lot done with this restless energy, but we need a little guidance to do it."

Time of Your Song
We were in the van where the hits were driving
Saw myself in the highlands at age thirteen
And I'm asking questions to the present day me
Moving backwards down the hill, see we were posting...
The production on this song feels "candied", what with the music box of electronic notes and effects that opens it, but that's not a bad thing - I like the variation in sound. The song bumps along like an R&B/reggae hybrid, with a fair amount of wordless chanting echoing in the background. Something tells me this sucker, which looks back wistfully on Matisyahu's rebellious youth, could do well as a single. It makes interesting references to various things from the garden of Eden, to the Temple of Doom, to finding nothing meaningful on the radio, to being G-d's bow and arrow: "Shoot me forth and I will go." He even quotes "Swing low, sweet chariot" at one point, which I find strangely amusing. What I like best is the little vocal beatbox breakdown near the end, which sounds like the vocals have been electronically tweaked a bit, but in a way that adds style and attitude rather than correcting flaws.

Dispatch the Troops
You know that I'm tired and you know that I'm sick
You can't stop me and you can't stop this
You could call the police try to make an arrest
Today is the day that I repossess...
The random vocalization at the beginning of this one bugs me little bit, since it sounds kind of silly with its "Bwuh beh yeh bweh" or whatever he's saying. It's a faster-paced, almost danceable, song that finds Matisyahu taking a more aggressive tack, but then sliding effortlessly into a laid-back chorus. The hook isn't as strong for me on this song, but the lyrics are intriguing, as he laments a people who fight over land because they can't see that they've come up with "Many names for one G-d, trotting on through the façade". One thing that really distracts me during this song is a background sound effect that sounds exactly like the sound that this old FTP program I used to use would make when it had finished uploading something. Guess they dug into the vault of vintage WAV files for that little sample.

Indestructible
Just a tool in the hands of the builder
Fill them with the strength to go further
Diggin deep for eternal treasure
Stay away from quicksand and false pleasure...
I think this is my favorite song on the record. Interestingly, it's the song that relies the most on hip-hop-tinged programming, and the least on live instruments. I can't help it; the rhythm is irresistible, a great blend of bumping drum-n-bass and vocal beat boxing. The flow of the lyrics is beautiful, and Matis' tone is very worshipful here, so there's no proud posturing, it's just a declaration of wanting to "Fear nobody but His Majesty", with some unexpected analogies thrown in here and there, as hip-hop and reggae songs are known to do. The overlapping of vocals here and there, and the catchy little "boom-p-p-ktch!-ah" that repeats underneath the rhythm near the end of the song, provide one of those catchy hooks that proves difficult to forget.

What I'm Fighting For
Sons and daughters of Abraham
Lay down to a higher command
Don't be tricked by the acts of man
Got wisdom revealed in a holy plan...
Give Matis more of a plain, folk music backdrop to sing along to, and it becomes clear that his vocal talent isn't as fascinating minus the syncopation and tricky pronunciation. Here he signs a plaintive song about how "What I'm fighting for is worth more than silver or gold", and while it's one of the more transparent moments on the album, it's also one of the most cliché, and on some days, annoying. It only runs a little over two minutes, so I don't succumb to the temptation to skip it, but it does come off as a bit of an unnecessary interlude.

Jerusalem
3,000 years with no place to be
And they want me to give up my milk and honey
Don't you see, it's not about the land or the sea
Not the country, but the dwelling of His majesty...
Here we have another one of those "candy beats" and another memorable chorus: "Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from me tongue/Jersualem, if I forget you, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do." This homage to the Jewish holy city talks about a lot of physical things and historical events, but in the end, seems to affirm that the "Holy Land" is really more of a spiritual concept than a city. This kind of builds on the theme of a few previous songs that have expressed sorrow due to wars, and families being torn apart over small patches of land. It's a bit weird when, in the middle of this fairly serious song, Matis pulls a Puff Daddy and decides to interject the line "Ain't nobody gonna break my stride, ain't nobody gonna hold me down, oh no, I've got to keep on moving", but that said, it's a strong, reflective number.

WP
Put the pedal to the metal, and returned to fundamentals
I'll never forget running through the hall with all y'all rebels
Roaming through the high land, young bucks invincible
Echoes in my brain, if kids report to the principal..
A mellow song shows up here that ambles along slowly, with bass notes and some instrument that sounds halfway between a harmonica and an accordion (anyone remember the Dido song, "Honestly OK"? 'Cause I'm getting flashbacks to that eerie little number.) calling out a wistful, echoing melody. This song appears to be about Matisyahu's school days - there's even a snippet of a rabbi talking at one point. It seems to be about coming to terms with his directionless sense at that age, realizing that there's something more to life - most likely that's when he discovered his religion. It's not a jump-out-and-grab-you type of song, but the ambience of it is beautiful and haunting.

Shalom/Salaam
I love this little interlude. It's got a nice little Mediterranean-sounding guitar (or other plucked string instrument) dancing about while a human beatbox supplies a bouncy rhythm. Reminds me a little bit of Bobby McFerrin. I really wish a full a song had been developed out of it.

Late Night in Zion
Planting seeds, they won't sink in
I'm dried up, like the desert earth, how could these seeds give birth
Water me down, liquify, I will not be cursed
From one into a million disperse...
Another slow, reflective song? I think I might be maxed out on these for now, especially because this one seems to follow the same melody over and over, for both verse and chorus. It does manage to capture the aimless feel of wandering around Jerusalem late at night - "I feel I'm just a man, flesh and bone, homeless". The lyrics are thoughtful and even poetic, but this song needs a little more variation to make it take hold. Thankfully, it's only three minutes long, so it shakes the dust off its sandals and moves onto the next town before it becomes too much of an unwanted houseguest.

Unique Is My Dove
Look to your ways and see a girl who wants to do the right thing
Dedicated to a life bigger than you or me
Build a temple in our hearts for his Majesty
Stay simple, serve G-d, then keep our deeds clean...
Aw, it's a sweet love song. Part of me, in my college years when I was getting a bit annoyed with my weed-smoking, Bob Marley-blasting roommates, kind of admired how there would be love songs even in the midst of the heated political stuff. (Yeah, all I know about Bob Marley is what I heard from down the hall. Don't crucify me, please.) I have to say that this one's a little awkward, both in its flow and in its overall sense of dorkiness - sitting in a park and laughing all day and intentionally missing the subway and all that. Like the title track, the rhythm seems to stumble a bit when shifting from verse to chorus and back. It might strike some as a contrived commercial for monogamy, but there's enough personal to it to keep it from being too didactic.

Ancient Lullaby
The branches on the trees gon' bow to these
Swaying to the melodies, craving for the slaves to bring redemption please
I am you, you are me, no more leaders, we must flee
We want to see G-d in our enemy...
Man, this song is sweet. This is one instance where I don't mind the rhythmic shifts in between verse and chorus. It sounds like several of the other mid-tempo tracks on the album here, but the presence of drums is totally stronger, and after some more vocal trickery during the verses, the chorus croons a simple but beautiful thought: "Soul cry, like an ancient lullaby", as the Mediterannean guitar thing returns to do a dance with the drums in 6/8 time. Then, as the song builds to its climax after a most excellent guitar solo, things get way Caribbean on us, with a heart-pounding drum solo that wraps the song for us quite thrillingly. It's like listening to the island version of Dave Matthews Band or something.

King Without a Crown
If you're trying to stay high, then you're bound to stay low
You want G-d, but you can't deflate your ego
If you're already there, then there's nowhere to go
If you're cup's already full, then it's bound to overflow...
This song was actually already a hit for Matisyahu in its live format, so I find it curious that it was re-recorded here. Apparently they sped it up a little bit. In any event, it closes the album on a strong note, again depicting the image of a wandering youth, a king without a crown who realizes he can't be his own master. The song flies through its lyrics at ludicrous speed, and man, do I love the way he rolls through those triplets as if they were nothing! One might not expect such worshipful lyrics as "I give myself to You with the essence of my being" to work in this context, but trust me, they do. There's more of a rock-edged, fuzzed-out guitar solo midway through, which is a pleasant surprise, and one final vocal breakdown that quotes the Psalms as the song comes to its confident finish. Yeah, I can totally see this one getting a crowd revved up. (I've heard his live show is quite the party, actually.)

And that's it - I'm sold! Shoot, I'd convert and start reading the Torah if I hadn't already read it (along with that New Testament stuff). But, religious identification aside, this is a sweet slab of music, and I'm happy to see it starting to catch on with a not-specifically-religious segment of the general public. I'll probably have to go back and check out this dude's older works now. For those like me who had never heard of the guy until a few months ago and/or haven't gotten their feet wet with a lot of reggae-influenced music yet, I'd surmise that Youth is a pretty good place to start.

ALBUM WORTH:
Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth $1
Youth $1
Time of Your Song $1.50
Dispatch the Troops $1
Indestructible $2
What I'm Fighting For $0
Jerusalem $1.50
WP $1
Shalom/Salaam $.50
Late Night in Zion $.50
Unique s My Dove $1
Ancient Lullaby $2
King Without a Crown $1.50
TOTAL: $14.50

Website: http://www.matismusic.com

Great Music to Play While: Bumpin' in your ride on the way to synagogue.

Recommended: Yes