Customer Reviews

Live at Stubb's: Austin, TX 2/19/05

5 star:		(106)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I write this review after having seen him live last night at the Aladdin Theater. I had heard of Matisyahu (aka Matthew Miller) about 6 months ago on NPR. At first the idea of a reggae singer who was a hassidic jew seemed like little more than a novelty. I was wrong. I changed my mind after they played one of his songs. At that point I had to buy the CD (From Amazon of course). When the CD arrived I was absolutely blown away. There is so much passion and magic in his music. His writing and vocals are matched equally by the talant of his band. The highlights of the CD for me were the first track, Sea to Sea, (My favorite song), Chop 'Em Down and Beatbox. Unfortunately the CD does not do him justice compared with seeing him live. While the CD beautifully captures his voice and talant, what it can't do is convey his stage presence. If you ever have the opportunity to see him perform live, DO IT! It was worth the cost of admission. It wasn't just a show, it was one of the most intense experiences I have ever had at a concert. It's probably the closest I have ever come to having a spiritual experience. I have not been this excited about a new artist in at least 15 years, if not longer. I can only hope this is just the beginning of a very long and distinguished career. He has a studio album which is not available on CD but can be downloaded on Yahoo Music which is worth listening to. He also has a second CD due out in January.

I love reggae but am extremely picky. I pretty much only listen to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and stuff like Shaggy makes my skin crawl. I finally heard so many good things about Matisyahu that I had to check him out, and I'm happy to say that he's totally genuine and incredibly talented. His music is intelligent and intense, and he's backed by a great band on this cd. I'm very happy I bougth this. I can't wait to see him perform live! In my opinion, this is a must for reggae fans.

An orthodox jew doing reggae?! That was such an odd combination that I just had to buy his two CDs. Believe it or not, but Matisyahu has created a really new and totally cool sound! The man combines real musical talent with a burning belief. He uses his music to express his own strong passion.
This is art inspired by religion much in the same way as the Sistine Chapel is. The religiosity or religion of the listener is not that important.
There are some songs that are not that good, but others, like Chop 'em down and Sea to sea are just great. He is still finding his way in the musical world, and some experiments are bound to fail (eg. Warrior and Beat box). I prefer this CD to Youth.
He also sounds like a quite cool guy in interviews, and is not a fanatic in any way, which is a relief.

Being a long time fan of reggae, I have a habit of giving the 'next big thing' a chance. Many times, it's a bit disappointing (Snow, Ace of Bass, Shaggy). Also, being a Jew (of more recent persuasion), I will look out for any "Jewishly inclined" reggae; but yet again the results were not that enjoyable. So when a friend in NYC told me about some Hasidic guy who was working on a reggae album - again I decided to give it a chance, but was not expecting much. Well just like all the other reviewers can attest to, I was pleasantly surprised. Matisyahu's style echos that of Sizzla in that he goes from DJing (or 'rapping' as Americans would call it) to singing. All the lyrics are reflective of his Jewish faith and culture; pointing towards Hashem as the sole reason for his craft. This album is of great quality; and showcases more diversity than his studio album (which doesn't include "Beat Box" - a great freestyle-feel hip-hop number). Of course I prefer the studio versions of some of the songs. I didn't give it "5 stars" because it is not the best of the best reggae that has ever been made. But for religious Jews, this music really strikes a chord and it's safe to say it is probably one of the most beloved CDs in my collection.

With "King Without A Crown" getting airplay on many alternative radio stations in the US, Matisyahu expresses an incredible spiritual fervor to the masses--with a quite attractive blend of reggae rhythms and elec. guitar that makes you feel part of an entire religious movement. I'm not religiously inclined by any means, but beyond the arrangements and just the general ambience of the music, Miller's voice is nothing short of amazing, and his delivery comes as nothing less than ethereal. Really, even a casual Marley fan can appreciate the combination of reggae with a decidedly great backing band. Spirituality is traditionally part of reggae, and Matisyahu is no exception, channeling a certain soul of honesty and hunger for a higher power. Like I said, I don't believe, but if I did, this would be the soundtrack to the top. But enough of that. Standouts are "Chop 'em Down", "King without a Crown", "Refuge", and "Close My Eyes", probably the best track here. But there are also the understated "Warrior" and "Exaltation", the two longest tracks. These don't feel like 7 minutes, because the band actually knows how to balance singing and instrumentation, often with the singing supplementing. And the one surprise: "Beat Box", happens to be an amazing display of skill for a human beat box, which at its end, the guitar comes in. Rapping by the MC and Miller ensues. "My mother sang songs in camps of concentration. His mother sang songs inside the cotton plantation. Her mother sang songs while we were bombing their nation. Now I sing songs for much more than just my occupation"... Better rapping skills than most of the [...] flung at us today, and did I forget to say that THE LYRICS MEAN SOMETHING. It's like a revolution or something. Be part of it.

Yes, I saw Matisyahu in concert. It was the best concert I've ever been to to date, and I'm agnostic... Go figure, right? Excellent songwriting and vocals make this an accessible and unpretentious album.

Also, I must recommend "New Dubby Conquerors" by Seeed, huge(popular) in Germany right now. You can listen on amazon.de even if you can't read the German. Best Reggae I know of. Comes off the line as PERFECT, with excellent critical acclaim even in JAMAICA! Check it out or download some tracks, it's infectious and electronically experimental.

This is great music. My only complaint is that he could have varied the beats more in the album. He basically uses the same beat over and over again, but his music is so impressive that he still gets 5 stars.

Like finding a twenty dollar bill in an old pair of pants, discovering a bright new Reggae voice in a young Hasidic Jew named Matisyahu Miller is a welcome surprise. The word-play of his lyrics is informed by the Torah and the Talmud rather than the mysticism of Rastafari, but it is still the same joyous spirituality that runs through all true Reggae. His stripped down band brings an American edge to the mix with touches of rock and hip-hop (think Sublime or H.R.) but keeps the foundation true. As someone who has traveled extensively in Jamaica and listened to a lot of roots music, let me tell you- If tracks like "King Without A Crown" don't make you want to get up and skank, maybe Reggae just isn't your thing.

I was prepared to not like this CD, cuz I generally don't like ANYONE's live albums. However, I found myself equally moved by this live version, as I was the studio recording of Matisyahu's first album, "Shake Off the Dust - Arise." I'm not Jewish, but Matisyahu's music transcends to all races and religions. When you go to bed at night, try listening to this CD in the dark, wearing headphones, volume cranked. I guarantee it will give you chills!

This is the best thing to come out in a long, long time. It combines reggae beats with the talent of great musicians and some very passionate vocals. The energy of the music transcends any religious or ethnic titles and can connect to all people. This live session truly engages the audience and encompasses many musical forms from the traditional reggae, to jamming guitars, and even to spoken word and beat-boxing. Its an enhanced CD and has a copy of the video for "King without a Crown," so you can see the live performance.

Matisyahu is truly incredible! I doubt anything this GREAT will come out for the rest of the year!

This cd is awesome. If you already own 'Shake off the dust ... Arise,' this addition will not be redundant. Matisyahu mixes up his previous songs and releases a few new ones on this album. Unfortunately, if you are looking for more, you will have to go to JDub directly. My only criticism is that I didn't know Amazon carried this until recently. I hope Amazon builds on this selection with more from Matisyahu and JDub.