Yael Naïm

Yael Naim

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 2008)
• Original Release Date: October 22, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic
• ASIN: B0013LP86Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,451 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

To begin with, this album was meant to focus solely on guitar and vocals. But little by little Yael and David Donatien, who encouraged her to sing in Hebrew, padded out the architecture and formed a team. Xavier Tribolet (drums), Laurent David (bass), Voed Nir (cello) and Julien Feltin (electric guitar) joined them as well as S.Husky Huskolds for the mix (Tom Waits, Fiona Apple, Me’Shell Ndegeocello). The instrumentation is pretty minimalist here yet incredibly colourful with the participation of the brass section, the Mellotron, the cello and some programming. Recorded in the young woman’s flat in Paris the 13 songs contain a part of Yael happy (Endless Song of Happiness) and a melancholic (Paris, Lonely) existence. Some of them, like Yashanti or Lachlom dive into dreams, others like Baboker bathe in the serenity found at the break of day. Shelcha looks at a love with no future. The most outrageous is of course the cover of Britney Spears’ Toxic. Listening to these little marvels could possibly remind us of old friends like Tori Amos or Fiona Apple. Yet the ensemble isn’t witness to excessive borrowing or exaggerated marking, but quite the contrary revealing a sincerity and absolute musical clarity. In fact it is quite astonishing how something that sounds so familiar could seduce our ears with such a nude and original beauty. Perhaps it is due to the dominance of Hebrew, a language so rarely sung in this context, that comes across as universal as Cesaria Evora’s Portuguese Creole? Or is it the simply the very freshness exhaled by the personality of this young woman who discovers in New Soul - sung in English with a contagious optimism – that she is "a new soul, in this foreign world, hoping to learn a little"? "It was when I was really young that I sincerely believed to be an old soul reincarnated and I could even say it gave me a sense of superiority over others. But then as I subsequently did everything the wrong way round I concluded that it was actually my first time on earth and that I should learn to be a more humble." On Far Far, she herself delivers this other perspective, that of a little girl who chases her dreams but who can only achieve them by accepting the "beautiful mess inside". In short both her own personal history and that of this simply magical record.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How's your Hebrew?, March 26, 2008

By	Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Like many people, I got this album because of the MacBook Air laptop ad featuring the track "New Soul", which is already released as a single. Yael Naim is a French artiste now living in Israel, and the tracks are in Hebrew, French and English.

She has a distinctive singing voice, and specializes in sultry jazzy numbers, sometimes with a folksy lilt. The song of the album is of course "New Soul", and there's an unusual, unexpected and very strange interpretation of "Toxic", originally sung by Britney Spears.

Other tracks to note are:

"Paris" - sung in Hebrew and French, which translated is an ode to her favorite city.

"Too Long" - a plaintive song in English where she sings "I waited for so long / Outside myself / You see I was pretending / To be someone else"

"Shelcha" - a slow Enya-type song in Hebrew and English

"Lonely" - a minimalistic, simple, melancholy song in English, definitely NOT a karaoke song

"Far Far" - another single, in English, that goes "How can you stay outside? / There's a beautiful mess inside"

"Lachlom" - a dreamy song in Hebrew

"Pachad" - jazzy piano intro leading into Hebrew lyrics

A great easy-listening album for when you're in the mood for something new and a little different.



Amanda Richards, March 26, 2008

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Israeli Nouvelle Chanson, March 24, 2008

By	Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

Yael Naim's self-titled album is a refreshing musical discovery. It's a breakup album, but it is more thoughtful and melancholy. It was recorded entirely in Yael's Parisian apartment. The album art recalls the Jewish feast of Sukkot, the harvest festival when people make booths open to the stars above. It's a musical feast. Like autumn, it is melancholy, yet it is fruitful.

The opening song,"Paris",is a bittersweet ode to the City of Light. "Too Long" is a mesmerizing song of longing. Of course, there's the klezmer/trip-hop of the hit "New Soul." "Levater" and "Shelcha" are hypnotic,haunting melodies. "Lonely" is a plea to an emotionally distant lover, with the words "I'll never leave you/standing in a storm." "Far far" is colored with sampled birdsong. The closing song, "Endless Song of Happiness" is optimistic and hopeful. The most surprising track is Naim's cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic." She turns bubblegum pop into something desperate and sad.

Yael Naim is an amazing musical discovery. She's brought new soul into the world of music! Along with the Idan Raichel Project and David Broza, she's transforming Israel into a musical oasis.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hauntingly beautiful melodies from a wonderful new singer....., March 29, 2008

By	D. Pawl "mariposarosa2" (Seattle) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Yael Naim is best known for the Air lap top song "New Soul" (as well as a great and quirky music video, featuring Naim literally creating a world for herself, from the fantastical paintings she adds as embellishments to photos in her new apartment, magically coming to life). Born of Tunisian/Sephardi-Jewish heritage, this new Parisian-born singer breathes new life into music, all the while infusing elements from her heritage into the melodies she sings (complete with muted acoustic guitars, melodica, piano, and what are described as "rhythm sounds" among others). Encouraged by her musical partner, David Donatien, to sing in Hebrew, as well as in French, this album succeeds on many levels. Also, her unexpected cover of "Toxic" (yes, originally recorded by Britney Spears), sounds decidedly understated, almost as though Yael is performing it at a jazz club somewhere, with minimal acoustical accompaniment. The liner notes include both Hebrew and English lyrics, and it's wonderful to see how Yael Naim integrates/fuses together her bicultural (or should I say multicultural?) voyage through music, poetry and musical experimentation.