Shwekey "Cry No More": Album Review

Here is my review on Yaakov Shwekey's latest release: Cry No More

Kadai

Song starts with a techno sound and moves into a hora/disco. This song is written by Yitzy Waldner and arranged by Yanky Briskman. Pros: Great driving  song with solid vocals performance. Cons: Arrangement is not bad but certainly not the most interesting. 

Grade: A-

Batuach Ani

Sax intro has that calming effect. This song is written by Elimelech Blumstein and Arranged by Yanky Briskman. This is a tune that gets better the more times you listen to it. Pros: Nice string arrangements

Cons: missing a great sax or guitar solo that might bring you tears. I just didn't get the goosebumps here.

Grade: B

Lo Yaavod

Written by Yossi Muller and Arranged by Jeff Horovich who also plays keys on this song.The song also features guitars by Metalish. I find this song the most interesting of the album and probably the least typical "Shwekey" tune, if you will. It's a slow to moderate rock tune. Pros: Great arrangements with different lyrics that haven't been sung  a million times. Nice guitar riffs. Cons: Guitar solos are just OK and I  would have enjoyed something a bit more impressive. The guitar part of the intro is kind of boring but that's just me.

Grade: A

Mi Bon Siach

Composed (backup vocals as well) by Yitzy Waldner with Arrangements by Moshe Laufer and additional Arrangements by Yanky Briskman. This ballad starts with a new age sound and moves into an arrangement filled with strings and acoustic guitar. Pros: Love the A part of this song and the B part has a nice ending.

Cons: As a ballad it's not all that different than previous ones. Strings get a bit boring after a while.

Grade: B

Hiney Anochi

Composed and Arranged by Moshe Laufer. This tune tune is heavy hitting Rock/Disco right out of the gate and has a nice drive to it. Pros: Very nice punchy horn arrangements. Cons: Not the most musically challenging tune but it's catchy.

Grade: B

Oleinu

Composed by Ezi Reissman and Arranged by Yanky Briskman. This ballad features strings , acoustic guitar and oboe (drums and bass of course). These arrangements are simple but nice (not exactly re-inventing the wheel). Pros: Part B is nice and the bridge has a nice but tame guitar solo. Nice choir vocals at the end of the song. Cons: a bit too predictable.

Grade: B

Rabi Nehorai

Composed by Yitzy Waldner and Elie Shwab with Arrangement by Ruvi Banet and Yanky Briskman. This song is solid from top to bottom and has all the right elements of a hit song:Great intro with guitars moving into a solid sax solo (Arkady?). Great newly sung lyrics with a great dynamic vocally and Shwekey really hits a home run with this song. They even added a bit of a sephardic element playing an Arabic styled bridge. This Disco/Hora is sure to get you dancing and should be a big hit on the wedding circuit. Pros: Great song, exciting arrangements and solos. Cons: Mix could have been a bit better perhaps a bit too much echo (I'm nit picking here?).

Grade: A+

Yisimcho

Composed by Yizchol Rosenthal and Arranged by Yisroel Lamm featuring child soloist  is Yaakov's son: Menachem Shwekey. This ballad is not as predictable as the others and the arrangement is classic Lamm. Pros: Nice vocal dynamic ( like that last note he hits at the end) and nice violin solo.Cons: Intro a bit corny but nice child solo doesn't really add that much to the song.

Grade: B+

Retzoneini

Composed by Pinky Weberand Arranged by Yanky Briskman. This is the frielach chassidish tune of the album and is sung in with yiddishe verte. Pros: Very lively Cons: Very Predictable.

Grade: B

Cry No More

Composed by Yitzy Waldener & Yaakov Shwekey with Lyrics by Ken Burgess & backup vocals from Yitzy Waldner. This is certainly one of the more sophisticated English songs you have probably heard thanks to Lyrics from Ken. The arrangements are also more contemporary than many. Pros: Strong vocal performances with great acoustic guitar and  piano arrangements. I enjoyed acoustic guitar solos Cons: None worth mentioning.

Grade: A

Avi Newmark Presents Nagila V'nismicha W/ Benny Friedman

Avi Newmark's latest musical production is stamped Nagila V'nismicha after his orchestra's name and stars Jewish music's latest singing sensation Benny Friedman. . This album is certainly not a wedding music album in the typical sense as it doesn't really  list the typical songs for a wedding (although some might be played). It is more of an album of handpicked songs from a variety of styles so there is something for everyone.

Benny Friedman really goes to town on Nagila V'nisimicha.This album allows him to truly showcase his vocal abilities by singing a range of different styles from chasidic to  Sephardic to Israeli. It was interesting to listen to some new material as well as some remakes of some very old and perhaps forgotten tunes. One example is Reb Yid by Yossi Green which was originally sung by Ari Klien. The strange part for me: I didn't recognize the name of the song but this high part started playing in my head. The song starts with a secular intro and I don't recognize it but it sounds fantastic. Then the high part starts and sure enough I must have heard it because that was the high part I remembered. The new songs on this album are by Elimelech Blumstein and a newcomer Mendy Fisch. The album's tone is set with Elimelech's exciting "Sameach" and features some yiddish, which I wasn't expecting. This is a very nice starting point and Sameach may very well get a lot of playing time in the wedding circuit. Avrumi G did a great job with the horn arrangements and kept the song entertaining. Mendy Fisch's song is a slow ballad: M'hairo. The intro is very contemporary  and the ballad is not like most you have ever heard. It is certainly not predictable and after you hear it a few times ( or once) it may become your favorite wedding ballad. It also has some great choir arrangements by Yitzy Spinnner.

Bottom Line: Not sure I would call it a wedding album but it is a lot of fun to listen to and offers  a great variety of songs. Avrumi G pulled out a lot of stops on these arrangements and they might very well be some of his best to date. Listen to the sampler and give it some serious consideration as your next Jewish music purchase.

Jewish Album Review: Dovid Gabay: Eretz Yisroel

Here is my in-depth review of Dovid Gabay's most recent release: Eretz Yisroel.

Eretz Yisroel

Rating: 9

The title song is composed by the famous Elimelech Blumstein and it’s arranged by Moshe Roth. I guess you would categorize it as a rock/disco style and it features Yonatan Porat on guitar as opposed to   Avi Singolda. The song is extremely catchy and you will be able to remember it in seconds. I like the drive on this song as it really gets things going. The different chord changes for the first and second  time around the song  keeps things interesting. There are some nice chord progressions and background child and adult choir here. Dovid is much looser vocally on this album and it shows on this song. Bottom  line:this song is one you will have on repeat.

B’simcha

Rating: 9 ½

Composed and arranged by Pinny Ostriecher. The first thing you will notice about this song is the funk intro. It is certainly not typical of most Jewish music songs. The tune seems to move from the intro into a steady rock groove and then into a funk/disco beat.  This song has lyrics in four languages: Hebrew, English, Yiddish and French which is  a nice touch. The arrangements are very solid and the saxophones are brought to you by Peter Wertheimer. I found this song to be very enjoyable  and is certainly not your run-of-the-mill filler tune. It is sure to have you dancing.

Adon Olam

Rating: 10

Composed by Boruch Levine and is arranged by Yisroel Lamm. Boruch Levine is on a real streak as this song is a real winner! This will certainly be played over many a time at a wedding. There are some fabulous chord changes that are sure to make your hair stand on edge and move you.

Haderes V”haemunah

Rating: 8

Composed by Elie Schwab  and arranged by Ami Cohen. It’s very interesting to hear a real serious Sephardic song written by an Ashkenazi (no doubt Ami helped with that too).  I enjoyed Avi Avidani and his drumming  and Gabay singing at the end over the choir is a real nice touch.

Bain Ha’olam

Rating: 7 

Composed by R” Noach Palay and arranged by Leib Yaakov Rigler. This is the second ballad on the album. This one was written in a minor key and is a bit more typical in that regard. It is certainly a nice song and probably will be played at weddings. It’s not as unusual as Adon Olam and may not grab your attention quite as much. Nice saxophone playing by Shloime Cohen on this tune. Dovid brings the key up a notch toward the end which I enjoyed, as the intensity of it brings a nice melodramatic ending to the song.

Boruch Olam

Rating: 8 ½

The only other song composed by Elimelech Blumstein on this album and arranged by Leib Yaakov Rigler. This moderate rock tune has a real nice vibe to it and just before you thought you would never hear those bag pipes again, (Legabay from the first album) they dust them off to play this intro for you. Uri Miles is your bagpiper (is that even a word?) and you will find yourself humming this song real soon. Yet another catchy tune that has the bass player, Ari Volnitz moving and grooving. I like the doubling of Dovid’s voice in the beginning of this song. They did a very good job of keeping more of that Irish ethnicity by adding Irish drums played by Moishe Yankovsky. Choir was arranged by Mosher Roth and performed very well on this tune.

Raza D’Shabbos

Rating: 9

This ballad was composed Moshe Werzberger and is arranged Hershkowitz. This ballad has some nice chord changes and accents that are pleasantly surprising and keep this song interesting.  This is yet another ballad I would love to perform at a wedding or shabbos table. Once again Shloime cohen plays some fantastic saxophone solos here. Extra note: Ozer Babad is credited with introducing the songs author to Dovid Gabay.

Mi Sheberach

Rating: 9

Composed by Yitzy Waldner and arranged by Mendy Hershkowitz. This disco starts off with Dovid actually making a Mi Sheberach which is interesting.  This song seems to have an element of the song of numah numah in it and has a great beat and vocal style.

V’hu Yishlach

Rating: 9

This rock tune is composed by Yaakov Ben Shabbat and arranged by Moshe Roth. It is a more intensely  styled song than the others.  I enjoy the heavy hitting and drive of this song as well as the bridges written by Moshe. When the choir sings it’s very tight and solid with Moshe Roth at the helm.

Yom Zeh Mechubad

Rating: 8 ½

This waltz composed by Yossi Green and arranged by Yisroel Lamm is what I refer to as retro.It does have some components that are certainly more contemporary. It is very pleasant and has an airy feel to it. The refrain of the song is styled like the zemiros of old and will certainly be appreciated by those who are familiar with this.

V’yizku

Rating: 7 ½

Composed by Eli Laufer and arranged Moshe Roth. This is the only frielach featured on Dovid’s album.It has a nice choir intro and the song is solid but nothing really stands out about it otherwise (unless you count the clarinet playing by Chaim Kirschenbaum).

To hear previews and purchase this album click below


Eretz Yisroel

Jewish Music Review: Lipa -From the Depth of My Heart

Lipa has certainly come along way since his original badchin only days. He's  considered today as one of the hottest performers for the religious Jewish music market. Although I'm familiar with some of his material from the wedding circuit, I never actually picked up a CD of his. His latest CD entitled "From the Depth of My Heart", is certainly packed with material. 16 tracks should keep you pretty busy.  I too am busy and will therefore not have time to go through the entire CD with you. A synopsis however would be, that throughout this CD Lipa really goes through many music genres which are evident if you simply listens to the samples offered.

Everything from techno to jazz to rock to acapella and more are covered at some point. Is every song a gem? Depends who you ask I guess. Considering I don't speak fluent yiddish, I probably don't have the same appreciation for some songs as others would. There are some potential big hits, including a song with MBD entitled " Ayei " which is one of my favorites. In conclusion, this album offers a really action packed ride  and you should definitely check out!The CD case is very impressive and it comes with it's own cleaning cloth along with his name (nice marketing gimmick) .

New Jewish Music Review: Six 13 Acapella:Free Sampler

If you enjoy A capella and even if you don't six 13's latest release, Yesh Chadash is certain to catch your attention. This album stays very true to the A capella venue and takes albums like Bitachon to the next level. As opposed to other A capella albums you may have heard that use samples of voice, six 13 uses real true vocals to put forth it's musical ideas and I believe most of the songs are original compositions. The recording quality of this album is some of the best I've heard in the Jewish music scene. The first song, Hodu really grabs your attention with it's feel good major key and light background vocals and I found myself enjoying it right away. The second song, Matovu brings more of a rock edge to it, again another winner. The ingenuity of these chord progressions and vocal arrangement explains why Mike Boxer is a real genius with choir and vocal production. Skipping around a bit here: Track 6 is what I call the "parody track "where group performs a medley of contemporary pop songs and it's certainly entertaining. Track 8 features their take on the famous wedding song: Shiru La memelch (Yeedle) which is certain to get you up and dancing. Needless to say I found this album very enjoyable and it proves that A capella can be great to listen to all year round. You can't go wrong with this album and certainly six 13 has taken Jewish A capella to a whole new level. Enjoy the sampler below!

Jewish Music Review: Hu Levado Hamenagnim Orchestra

I had heard about this new release produced by Shalom Wagshal with arrangements Moshe Roth and was looking to get my hands on it. The album is in the wedding genre and features a medley of songs each on a separate track which I really liked. The album features an interesting mix of songs both new and old. It also features 3 original songs sung by Gideon Levine, Dovid Gabay and Mordechai Ben David. I enjoyed the title track song the most of the three and I think Gabay did an excellent job vocally. Mordechai Ben David also surprises you with nice high notes that he sings well. MBD's vocals remind you of his younger years on the ballad Malachei Rachamim and he seems to have found a better vocal technique. The eastern medley features a guest vocalist -Meidad Tassa who I'm assuming is the child vocalist who has fantastic control. I'm not familiar with every tune but I found the album to be well produced and recorded. The vocalists did a nice job both vocally and harmonically and I didn't feel anything was overproduced in any way. The last track features a thank you to all involved and is a nice touch. There is also a bonus video track on the cd that can be viewed on your computer as well.

Here are some preview clips.

Jewish Music Review: Yosef Karduner: Mikdash Melech

A Jewish Music Insider has the scoop on this latest release by Yosef Karduner. Read the review here and feel free to comment.

A Jewish Music Insider: JM Review: Benny Amar

Benny Amar's debut album, "Am Echad" should be out any day now. Thanks to receiving an advance copy, you can read an in-depth review of Benny's debut album at the new blog: A Jewish Music Insider.

Jewish Music Review: The 8th Note

The 8th Note Review is finally here!

This album features songs by Yossi Green and is Produced by Yossi Tyberg.

1) Layehudim

The opening song for the album is a pretty catchy disco type tune . The intro starts with piano by Shai Bachar and guitars by Ilya Lishinsky (programmed?). I enjoyed the arrangement especially the overall vibe which is more jazz oriented. Yossi Green uses his classic doubled over vocals which work well with this song. At 1:58 he starts to break the vocals into a third part with harmonies that works as a bridge into the beginning of the tune. Yossi throws in some sephardic vocal overdubs from Rabbi Shlomo Karo which adds an interesting element.

Rating: 8.5/10

2) Anovim Anovim

This song was written a while back for MBD and performed in concert but never recorded. This song is arranged by Daniel Frieberg who arranged MBD's "Let My People Go" album and hasn't been heard of much since then. Daniel mixes some old with the new: The use of strings with new age style percussion. Together it makes for a very beautiful haunting melody and certainly a tune you could walk down the chupa too or even sing during the dinner set. MBD although perhaps not in his vocal prime his performance on this song is right on. I liked Yossi's vocals better on the high than the low part here. At 4:16 MBD hits some higher notes and it really brings out a very emotional feel as it fades away with his falsetto, it closes as well as it opened.

Rating: 9.5/10

3) Sefor

Lev Tahor guest stars on this song and it's a shame because I wasn't a big fan of this tune.
One of the problems is there are too many words and when Eli sings them it sounds like he's pushing the phrase to fit the melody.

Rating: 6/10

4) Beshivtecho

Starring Shloime Gertner in this nice disco/shuffle. I like the idea of taking the style of learning in Yiddish and incorporating it into this tune. Reminds me of how they taught me Yiddish in the younger grades. This song has a lot of appeal and it grew on me the more I listened to it. Mo Kiss did a nice job recording the child choir. At about 4:03 Yossi goes for another vocal bridge incorporating the Yiddish into the song along with the children.

Rating: 8/10

5) Ve'oz Yihyu

This song features the usual suspects in the rythm section: Gutfried, Singolda, Volinetz, Vered.
Haim Yisrael sings very nicely in this slow ballad but he's a bit too nasal for my taste. It's a very pleasant song but it's not the most memorable and I'm not sure it will be a big hit. I did like Yossi's vocals and backup on this tune.

Rating: 7/10

6) Al Todin

This authentic reggae song is brought by way of a flute intro by Itai Kriss. Vocal guests are Moti Pshemish (?) and Shalom Zohar. If you are into reggae you are certain to enjoy this song. If you are wondering why some of the vocals sound so authentically reggae that's because they are. I was told real reggae singers were employed to sing the background vocals to give it that real reggae flavor. Even though this is not my favorite style musically I found myself connecting to it and it's message-never judge a brother until you have been in his place....

Rating: 8.5/10

7) Lama

This intro reminds me of some old television show style arrangements, which I actually like.
I have never heard Mo Kiss perform so this was my first time hearing his vocals. He sounds very clean but he does remind me of Yehuda! and you be hard pressed to tell them apart. I enjoyed the arrangement by Lishinsky but the song was missing a good hook.

Rating: 6.5/10

8) Kanei

Starring the famous Cantor Helfgot and arranged by Leib Yakov Rigler with strings by the Israeli Philharmonic. When I hear this song I think of Avraham Fried and it would be interesting to have heard him sing it. This song is a bit more sophisticated than Anovim vocally and has a very wide range which works well for Helfgot. It's more of a listening piece than something one would perform.

Rating: 8/10


9)Yossel

As soon as this song starts, you start to smile as you hear Lipa Schmeltzer talking about his buddy Yossi Green and the songs he's written. I really got a kick out of this big band tune arranged by Shai Bachar as I'm sure you will. There is a nice "Johnny be good" guitar solo too.

Rating: 8.5/10

10) Hesech Hadas

Intro is classic Mona and a throw back to the arrangements you have heard before. Avraham Fried stars in this catchy disco that will get you up and dancing in no time flat. I would have preferred a different arrangement but Fried sounds great on this tune and I like the distorted guitars as well as the moving bass line. Yossi lends his vocals and serves as a bridge between Fried's singing. At 2:20 Yossi again goes with a third part" vocal bridge" deal , which I like as well.There is a nice use of organ and overall this is a song they could add to the wedding scene.

Rating: 8.75/10

11) Naseh Venishma

This intro reminds of something that might be typical of Gershon Veroba. Yossi integrates some yiddish into this tunes and it has some nice Brass hits. The song is however is not all that remarkable and it is also missing a good hook as well.

Rating: 6/10

12) The 8th Note

New age intro with synth starts with Yossi's vocals. I think someone else should have introduced this song but A.K.A. Pella does nice job taking over part B and are reminiscent of a boy band sound. I found the lyrics to be a bit better than the corny ones you typically hear.

Rating: 8/10

13) Mi Mi Adir

This song is introduced to you by what sounds like the pouring champaign. I think that Yossi Green was drinking too much of that bubbely when he wrote this tune and I think we could have done with out it . Perhaps he was thinking what would happen if he took some mexican styled brass and put these words to it? Strange is the only word to describe this tune.

Rating: 4/10


14) Hato Shemini

Here is the hebrew version of The 8th note song brought to you in part by Ohad Moskowitz. Singing hebrew in ivrit is when Ohad sounds his best and this is no exception. A.K.A Pella backs him up but less prominently than the previous version as Ohad is the star here.

Rating: 8.5/10


Bottom Line: This is a more sophisticated album than perhaps people are typically used to.
The album has some really good tunes as well as fun and interesting arrangements and takes time to be digested properly. It certainly is not stale like many of the past releases and perhaps is signaling a change in Yossi's attitude about where Jewish Music will or should be going.

Jewish Music Review: HASC #20

Hasc #20 sports some of the biggest names in the Jewish Music business. It all starts with the overture and moves to shalsheles junior. They sing several songs together but my favorite is modeh ani.It's the first time I had ever listened to them and they sounded pretty tight together. We then move on to songwriter Boruch Levine who reminds a bit of Yisroel Williger. He sings a beautiful ballad melody: V'zakeini. Dedi is then introduced with Zochreini Na. He goes on to sing Yimloch and Neshoma. I personally would have liked to heard some of Dedi's older material but I digress. We then hear from Dovid Gabay singing his title song, "Legabay". He sounded very energetic and his voice sounded a lot edgier than his original recording and I really enjoyed this version. I think they should have featured more material from him but I'm not calling the shots here. Another one song is performed by Lipa: The "diet" song, which is now my daughter's favorite. Ohad brings some dazzling performances with his opener "sholom alaichem" and he really utilizes the choir well. Ohad also runs through some previews of songs he performed overseas which sounded extraordinary. I would have liked to have heard them in their entirety. We then continue on to Avraham Fried and Helfgot who perform well together with the classic "Tanya" as well as other songs. Avraham Fried ends off with the classic: Forever One which featured a fantastic arrangement. The album certainly covers a wide range of vocal talent and sounds. My only issue was with the mix. There were some songs were the guitar was non existent. I think perhaps it may not have been mixed 24 track but rather straight off the board. Regardless it's makes a fantastic edition to any Jewish Music collection.

Jewish Music Review: Aryeh Kunstler

Coming from an extremely musical family it's not surprising that Aryeh Kunstler has decided to release his debut album "From the Depths". It was interesting to learn that this young man had turned into a pretty impressive guitar player. This album would not be confused with the"Shiny shoe music" group and it's more in line with the Blue Fringe era. Even though this style is not what I usually listen to in the Jewish Music genre, I found myself really enjoying this album. The guests on this album include his brother Dani Kunstler and Lenny Solomon of Shlock Rock fame. The album opener "Oseh Shalom", starts off with acoustic guitar and is a "feel good" catchy style in major that really grabs you and may get your feet tapping right off. (Warning: if you start humming this tune in middle of class, you'll know why). Aryeh then moves into a relaxing moderate ballad in "Az Yashir", yet another nice tune which combines the electric and acoustic guitars. Next tune is one of my favorites and I believe it really shows Aryeh's talent both musically and certainly vocally. I'm speaking of "Mizmor Shir" and features Lenny Solomon on back up vocals. The groove is fantastic and the hebrew and English lyrics really work well together. Aryeh's next tune is "Im Eshkachech", a melancholy rock tune that expresses the words in a way that really fits in that genre. To pick you back up from the sad and lonely, Aryeh brings you "Modeh Ani" which you might dub as the " Rock n' roll" niggun (or maybe just me?). Aryeh dedicates the next ballad to his aunt: "Hateh Alei". This song again shows Aryeh's ability to translate the meaning of the lyrics well into the music in this really sad but beautiful melody. Aryeh then discusses the battle with "yetzer hora" in this rock/country style tune: "Show me your love" another great English song. The next tune, "Miokolos" is dedicated to Avinoam Grossman, an 18-year-old yeshiva bochur from Long Island, NY who drowned off the western coast of Australia. This beautiful haunting melody really tugs at your soul (tissue box not included). Aryeh then shows his heavier metal side with "Mimakim" which is the title track and shows off some more of his guitar talent and features some cool synth from Avi Tai. The next tune is "Aileh Vrechev" a moderate rock/ pop style that also features more guitar soloing by Aryeh.The last song (on the album cover) is "Gates": This songs features some great vocal harmonies and the acoustic guitars really bring out the message at neilah of Yom Kippur. The hidden track is the "Chavrusa break up" song which will certainly bring smiles to many. There really aren't any fillers on this CD and Aryeh proves that he's a serious songwriter/arranger and is sure to be a face you'll be seeing more of on the Jewish Music scene. To purchase this album click here.

Jewish Music Review: Yitzy Spinner: you and i

I finally went out and picked up a copy of Yitzy Spinner's debut album entitled "you and i" produced by Avi Newmark. I had heard some tracks via Sameach Music and decided to give it a whirl. You can tell that although Yitzy wants his album to be attractive to the mainstream market he doesn't want it to be boring as many tend to be. You can tell he put a lot of effort in bringing some new ideas to the table and he certainly doesn't disappoint. The album starts with a punch from the opening song "Tzur" which is nice attention grabber. Yitzy then transitions into a nice ballad "Acheniu": I was especially impressed with the backup vocals from Mike Boxer and Yitzy on this tune. The next song is a funky disco/hora:Mi Sheshikein with Danny Flam arranging the brass which really makes this song stand out. The next tune is the title song "you and i". I'm usually not a big fan of English songs since the lyrics tend to be childish and the song is usually dull. I thought Yitzy does a decent job of writing a song where the melody and words match well. In this song Yitzy shows the more emotional side of his voice . You and i is probably best described as a contemporary /quasi- R & B tune which certainly is quite different from what you will hear say on a Shwekey album. Yitzy then goes to rock it up with L'maan Achai which can be kind of catchy. If you are looking for something very different the next song will have your ears perking up: Lefonai. Yaron Gershovsky does what he does best backing up this rock n' roll shuffle .This tune is sure to get you up and dancing. Other songs include Peha another ballad, Modeh Ani with it's calypso/ carribean feel (where is my pina colada?) to a spanish hora-Sholom Aleichem and then moves to "neshomah" another contemporary ballad that really shows the depth of Yitzy's voice. The album does not stop at just 10 songs: Oseh Shalom an Arabic Hora would not be complete without the great guitar work of Avi Singolda and last but not least Avraham Yagel a moderate rock tune gives this album a real strong finish. Bottom line: you and i is a real nice album that will certainly make a nice chanukah present and is certainly enjoyable to listen to and can be purchased here.

Jewish Music: Battle of the Blogs

Well this is certainly an interesting development. Jewish Music Blog has found himself a new critic: Another blog. Mean Jblogs Suck is taking Aryeh to task for recent comments he's made about the latest release by Yitzy Spinner (whose album was released today) as well as his overall attitude in reviewing albums. I must say that at the very least I find this new blog somewhat entertaining as a good come back to unfair criticisms. While I understand the intent of this new Jblogger, it may just give more attention to his nemesis. The blog is very harsh with it's introduction:I've got some news for those losers, I'm here to put an end to your party.The author was referring to Jbloggers that knock albums with their critique and hide behind the anonymity of blogs. Although I truly can appreciate his ideas the overall tone is so angry in my mind one loses credibility when you over do it.Although I'm certainly not JMB's biggest fan I ask of this paragaraph: Jewish Music Blog has no credibility and if he knew the financial loss he is causing Yidden who are trying very hard to create Kosher, fun Jewish entertainment I hope he would stop his Loshan Hora filled blog. How much loss do you think a blog that is critical of so many albums and has how many visitors a day? Do you really think a) anyone takes it serious enough not to buy? b) does his traffic amount to all that much? c) Is it really loshon horah to give your opinion on something? I'm not a rabbi so perhaps to give an opinion that in theory may cause someone to think about not purchasing is loshon horah?

Jewish Music Reviews: Cantorial Music: Spanish

The J Post has a review on Kamti Lehallel a 2 CD set of Spanish and Portuguese cantorial tradition.

Particularly exquisite and interesting are the various renditions of the kaddish, especially the example from the Rosh Hashanna liturgy, a haunting and well-known melody.

Some listeners will certainly be surprised by Kamti Lehallel, as the collection superficially sounds just like western choral music, even given the great care taken in proper, Sephardic pronunciation of the Hebrew. One of the big influences on this genre was 18th century Spanish opera styles, and this comes through as well.

The article also discusses the influence of Arabic music on these liturgical pieces.

A Capella Interview with Bitachon Alumni: Jordan Gorfinkel

Sameach Music has a very interesting interview with Jordan Gorfinkel AKA Gorf. Gorf is a founding member of Beat'achon and a A Capella master/producer. It's definitely worth a read click here to view it. If you missed my latest review on the latest A Capella releases click here.

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.

Jewish Music Review: Gershon Veroba: Reach Out

I have picked up Gershon Veroba's latest album, Reach Out. I had purchased his last album as well entitled "Turn it Around" and really enjoyed it. This latest release is quite different in many ways from the previous. This album is what can be best described as a "band" album. The CD features Gershon's band, Takana which is compromised of the following musicians: Gal Gershovsky, Tony Montalbo, Bill Nelson, Zvi Lampert and Bobby Shubowitz. Gershon smartly decided to go with many English songs as that is his strong suite. If I could select a genre for this CD it would certainly be classic rock. You can hear many Billy Joel influences and others throughout. My daugther enjoys the first song the most: Bamorom. I enjoyed it as well, although some of my other favorites are a song by Yakov Gifter: Mi Sheososh as well as Ana Avadoh and the last song sung with guest vocalist Sam Glaser,"Across The River". The English songs seem to have a very serious tone to them with the exception of the last one. Overall I really enjoyed the album and my only complaint is the mix. The mix was done on the dry side almost unplugged if you will. I'm not saying you should have tons of reverb everywhere but in certain spots it would have been appropriate. Feel free to listen to clips of this release.

Coming Soon: Jewish Music Review: Gershon Veroba

I have been hearing some really good things about Gershon Veroba's latest release "Reach Out". I had actually purchased his last regular album " Turn it Around" and thought it was pretty good. Keep an eye out and I'll have the review up shortly.