Listen closely to this joyous, heartfelt reggae and you may notice that he's a Hasidic Jew rather than a Rastafarian -- yet it shouldn't be any surprise that the classic reggae themes of devotion, redemption, exodus, perserverance, and rhythm flow through as powerfully as with the best of the genre.
From amidst the darkness set sail with the softness
Breeze traveling across the seas arisen from within Mt. Zion
Wind coming in picking up momentum
Cutting crisply through the thickness riding on a rhythm
My friend Neil said this is the Jewish Bob Marley, and I have to agree. Like Marley at his best, this is gorgeous music that can evoke unexpectedly strong emotion even when playing quietly in the background...yet there is also a modern ethic, a freshness and musical sharpness that evokes thoughts of New York jazz.
Oh, and Bill Laswell has remixed at least one of his tracks; you
can find it (and more) it on
http://www.hasidicreggae.com/ .
Given the recent popular recognition of Matisyahu, I'm expecting more goodness from the non-profit
JDub Records in the future.