Track Listing

1. Paris
2. Too Long
3. New Soul
4. Levater
5. Shelcha - David Donatien, Kid With No Eyes, Yael Naïm
6. Lonely
7. Far Far
8. Yashanti
9. 7 Baboker
10. Lachlom
11. Toxic
12. Pachad
13. Endless Song of Happiness [Shir Haosher Hanitschi]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3032 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-18
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
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

How's your Hebrew?
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

Israeli Nouvelle Chanson
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.

"There's a beautiful mess inside..." (4.5 stars)
One day while browsing Amazon I somehow stumbled upon Yael Naim. I had never heard of her before but when I learned that she was the voice behind the wispy music featured on Apple's Macbook Air commercial my interest peaked. "New World" has such a fun, playful feel to it but the rest of the album is a bit more somber sounding. More notable tracks like "Too Long" and "Far Far" are definitely accessible to the ears, making for perfect radio play, but for me the highlights include those not sung in English. "Levatar", "Shelcha" with David Donatien, and "Pachad" in particular stood out with me the most. Her voice is like sweet silk rolling off the tongue when she sings in French and Hebrew, which I find to be a wonderful example of how music can be universal. She breaks through the language barriers for a truly unique listening experience that centers heavily on her gorgeous, expressive vocals with just subtle acoustics and electronics to enhance the mood. She even does a decent downtempo cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic" that's actually made tolerable in the hands of someone with talent.

Yael Naim is definitely a promising new artist to watch out for. I can't stop listening to her debut album and hope this isn't the last I hear from her.