Track Listing

1. Sea to Sea
2. Chop 'Em Down
3. Warrior
4. Lord Raise Me Up
5. King Without a Crown
6. Aish Tamid
7. Beat Box
8. Fire and Heights
9. Exaltation
10. Refuge
11. Heights
12. Close My Eyes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7366 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2005-08-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Live

Amazon.com
Although reggae's religious overtones are often overshadowed by the music's ties to ganja and the hippie movement, there are some socially active or religious leaning artists out there. One of the newest comes in the unlikely figure of a young Hasidic Jew named Matisyahu. Singing with a slight ghetto patois, in Yiddish, and even displaying considerable beat-box skills, the New Yorker is at his best when he works himself into fits of righteous indignation and Old Testament fervor (the limits of his vocal range are laid bare when he croons on ballads). The lean three-piece band on this live recording, his second album, is aerodynamic and flexible, able to do the slow reggae groove or rock out with ferocity. After 12 tracks of stripped-down reggae, however, the music tends to blend into one long groove. Nonetheless, there is an undeniable urgency in this live recording that comes through loud and clear, making it a live document of note by one of reggae's most interesting new figures. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

Giving props to the artist formerly known as Matthew Miller.
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.

Rare
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.

Its cool and it grows with every listening
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.