Sameach Music Free Music Download: A Capella Version

Sameach Music Episode #48 is now up and features songs by AKA Pella, Avraham Fried and family singing ( not available in stores ever), six 13 and Yosef Karduner (Alainu L'shabaiach).

Jewish Music Review: AKA Pella

AKA Pella has their latest release: Adaptation(#3), already in stores and online.

Here is my review of this a capella album:

Firstly for the sake of simplicity I'm using a 5 star rating system:

1-nothing special
2-ok
3-good
4-great
5-fantastic

1) Eitz Chaim

I thought this was a pretty gutsy move to put these words to a straight up serious rock tune.
I think it worked pretty well but the vocals fell a bit short since they really aren't rock n' roll type vocalists. The arrangement followed the original pretty closely so perhaps not a tremendous amount of imagination was needed here but it was done well.

Rating: 3 stars

2) Halleluka

I really enjoyed the intro vocals here of Elie Ganz and Yoel Horowitz as they went for a gospel tone on this song imitating the English version so to speak. Things get a bit interesting as they go for the heavy breathing effects that black singers are known for. I found this version fairly entertaining.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

3) Mi Bon Siach

Mo and Avi Kiss sing these words to a classic folk tune and the words fit nicely into this relaxed ballad with an upbeat vibe. Although the vocals are pleasant they are not earth shattering.

Rating: 3 stars ( props for a good concept)

4) Adon Olam

Another classic recent pop tune and as the song progresses it continues to improve.

Rating: 3 stars

5) Gam Ki Ailach

This adaptation didn't take much imagination and the background vocals were a bit annoying. The vocals could have been stronger.

Rating: 1 star


6) Ma Tovu

This was one of the better adaptations of the album. The vocals are a dead on fit for this style of song. The background vocals complemented this version well.

Rating: 4 stars

7) Mi Adir

Featuring vocals of Itsi Klienfeld who sounded great on this famous pop ballad. The only issue was I think he tried a bit too hard in the beginning of the vocal for an emotional sound but overall it was quite good and entertaining. Avi Stewart and Itsi sounded great singing together and complement each other. I especially enjoyed the bridge a little after 3:05 min..

Rating: 4 stars

8) Heenay Matov

This song however pleasant was not very memorable. The background vocals where not terribly interesting and at some points were very predictable. The one redeeming quality was Mo Kiss's adaptation toward the end of the song.

Rating: 2 stars

9) Ani Maamin

Nice intro and you can see a pattern developing of choosing real classic pop tunes some of which are60's and 70's. This adaptation features the vocals Avi Stewart and Zevi Daniel who both sound quite good on this tune. I would have liked a bit more here so they could make the song their own but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

10) Y'hee Shalom

Mo Kiss was a perfect choice vocally for this song adaptation. I enjoyed the falsetto
and the background vocals weren't too bad.

Rating: 3 stars

11) Chaveirim

Certainly one of the smartest adaptations on this album. Vocally it's the closest they get to the original recording of this famous television theme song. I think many people are going to enjoy this song as one of their favorites.

Rating: 4 stars

12) When the Children Sing

It was a nice surprise to hear a power ballad sung by the Kol Noar Boys Choir and child soloist Ami Eller. I would have liked to hear more harmony from the actual choir itself but it was certainly enjoyable. AKA Pella took credits for this adaption and the lyrics but in truth I believe it has already been done and this is where the idea probably came from.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

13) Ki Malachav

This song was nice enough and the vocals fit the style well. The background were not bad but nothing earth shattering.

Rating: 2 stars

Bottom line: This is not what I would consider a real A capella album as say Bitachon and Six13. Some people have taken issue with the idea that even though there are no real instruments it sounds too close to actual instruments to be called A capella music. Regardless I found the album fun to listen to but I thought had they put in some more time this could have been a lot better.

Mo Kiss: Who is He?

Mo Kiss was recently featured as a vocalist on "The 8th Note". Life-of-Rubin gives us some insight as to what his musical background consists of. Until now most albums featuring his name were strictly from a production standpoint, not as a vocalist. He was usually involved with recording his choir: Kol Noar Boys Choir for a variety of albums i.e. MBD, Lipa and Yehuda!. He has been a wedding vocalist and guitarist for a variety of orchestras including Aish Orchestra. Mo Kiss's father, Abe is the proud owner of a seforim store, five star Judaica in Wesley Hills, Monsey. Abe was actually featured in a AKA Pella promotion where they used his store as part of the production. You can see Abe Kiss behind the counter as the chossid decides which album he should purchase.

Free Jewish Music Download: AKA Pella

Here is a free sample of the AKA Pella's latest release :Adaptations which is already available online and should be in stores this Monday. I hope top preview this album in the near future so stay tuned....

Pretty funky cover for a Jewish album. It will be in stores
very shortly in time for sefira. If you didn't read it I had
done a review on their last album.

Jewish A Capella: A.K.A .Pella 2 Review

Ok So I just recently reviewed six13's latest A Capella album and it's time to move on to yet another: AKA Pella #2. This group has certainly stirred up a lot of controversy from copying American Idol on the album cover to using intros from well known American songs such as "Larger than Life" on their opening song L'cha ( The Chevra) and so many others. I'm sure they could have managed to release the album without these intros but perhaps the controversy increases album sales. If I had to compare it to six13, I would say the singers on this album have better voices but this album doesn't have as much as an A Capella feel to it.The guitar sounds a bit to real to me ( although you can tell perhaps it's not the real deal). The album covers songs from The Chevra (Eli Gerstner), Shalsheles, Lev Tahor, Yehuda and others and there is some original material as well. Overall it's a decent album but I wasn't blown away. I did not hear the first album but my understanding from one of my associates was the first album is better. They picked some good songs to cover such as songs from Lev Tahor but they fell short vocally and they didn't do much to make these songs thier own. The album is certainly pleasant to listen to but some people seem to have an issue with it, saying the album sounds too real to be considered sefira-kosher.