In time for sefirah the Nigunei Chabad Video Blog is back again on COLlive. Episode 6 is a Tenuoh (movement) from R’ Moshe Morosov A”H, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 91. The Morosov family were well known Chabad Menagnim and R’ Moshe’s father R’ Chonye was given a special mission by the Rebbe Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, the 5th Chabad Rebbe, to travel from town to town and teach Nigunei Chabad. An MP3 of the Nigun (sans intro) can be downloaded HERE (right click, save target as).

Chavlog #6 Reb Moishe’s Tenuoh from COLlive.com on Vimeo.

Some people go out to restaurants, others hang out with friends, yet others just kick back and relax. Every one has a different version of what they call fun. Call me strange, but my way of having fun is browsing through music sites on the internet. It could be anything from listening to demos of a bluegrass band no one’s heard of before to reading through online manuals for a guitar pedal you can only buy in pawn shops anymore. It was while having this sort of “fun” that I happened on the Yamaha Freestyle Performance contests, where basically keyboardists from all over the country show off their skills with a Yamaha keyboard and a group of judges narrows them down.

I always love to listen to this kind of music because you can find all kinds of creativity flowing out of these guys working from home that no one knows about… or sometimes their mother’s home. Anyway, I scroll down to see which of the 8 I want to hear first and to my surprise I happen across a very familiar face! Sure enough, matching the familiar face is the name “Chony Milecky”, just in case I was brewing some kind of lookalike conspiracy theory in my pre-pesach fried brain.

Long story short, I voted and I hope you do too. Not just to support one of our own, but also because I felt he simply showed off more of the versatility and ability of the keyboard at the hands of a pro. Here’s the link, you can vote 5 times a day. Let’s show ‘em whose music rocks. I know whose, how bout Jew?
VOTE BY CLICKING HERE

The Sheichet reviews Yoely Greenfeld’s Hamevorech Yisbaruch. Check it out by watching the video below!

Good to his word, JMR’s Mendel “the Sheichet” put in a submission for season 2 of a Jewish Star. While quite different and more mainstream than last year’s submission, his audition is still in the simple, straightforward style we’ve come to expect. What are his prospects of winning? “Who cares?” says Mendel “the main thing here is that I get to show a different side of myself to the world at large. It’s a great opportunity for exposure and people would do well to stop thinking about what their chances are at winning and just see the great opportunity the contest is for every single entrant”

Any surprises this year? “I was pleasantly surprised by the variations in styles presented so far.” says Mendel “I see a few entrants already who hold some strong promise for the future. I was also surprised though – and a little disappointed – in the fact that so far I’m the only one of last year’s contestants to audition again. I know Gershon Shapiro is iy”h submitting again and I hear it will be something very different. I’m really looking forward to hearing his audition and I sincerely hope that some of the others from last year are planning to audition again as well. Instead of being down-hearted about last year’s results, they should be focusing on how much exposure each of them got – win or lose, this a a very positive thing and a big opportunity”

To see his audition click on JEWISH STAR SEASON 2: MENDEL THE SHEICHET AUDITION

by: Mendel the “Sheichet”

I’m sure there are many people out there who want to join the competition but are holding back for various reasons. Maybe they think they can’t win without a professional video. Maybe they think there’s other competitors who are better than them. Maybe they are just afraid people will laugh at them. We’ve seen articles by people in the music industry encouraging people to join the competition. “Easy for them to say” you might think, “they’ve already made it”. So I wanted to give a different perspective on why you should join coming from someone who was already in this competition, lost the competition big time and won from it even bigger. I hope this changes your mind.

Instead of focusing on the winners like everyone tends to do, let’s focus on the losers. While Binyomin Moshe took the title, you’ve certainly noticed that Shuky Sadon and Avraham Ohayon from the 3 finalists have been far from forgotten over the last year. They have both been in-demand performers and undoubtedly gained tremendously from their exposure on Jewish Star. Then think about Boruch Shalom Blesofsky! He has become a house-hold name, putting out 2 amazing music videos and is apparently working on a full album now. In a couple years when he is G-D willing a huge star – do you really think anyone will remember the fact that he didn’t actually make it to the top 3? Of course not. He took what many might consider a “loss” and realized that the exposure he received as a top 10 finalist was enough of a jumping board to launch from. So much so that he didn’t even feel the need for a repeat entry because he already got what he needed out of it.

Now let’s look at me… HUGE loser, right? I didn’t even make it to the top 10! As far as anyone knows I might have been the lowest voted in the whole competition! I should probably regret auditioning in the first place, right? Not a chance! My audition from a messy office with a broken fax machine and no music got enough people interested that I was asked to record a Sefirah feature for COLlive last year. Thus COL’s Chavlog (Nigunei Chabad Video Blog) was born. Though we kept it running only through Sefirah, the demand for a relaunch has been so great that there are now plans to restart the Chavlog as a regular feature. Not bad for a loser, huh? I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been approached by strangers who tell me how much they loved the Chavlog, or thanking me for turning their kids on to nigunim – or even just plain poking fun at me. “Hey, Sheichet” they sneer “sing us a nigun heh heh”. Hey, at least they know who I am. The bottom line is that I’ve gotten an unbelievable amount of exposure from an audition most people would be embarrassed to even submit.

Stop worrying about who you can beat or you can’t beat. I’m iy”h submitting again this year. I’m not worrying about the fact that with 4 kids I can’t justify the cost of making a video like Aaron Holder (brilliant btw, I love that guy). Nor am I worrying about if my voice is better than his or not (and he has a stunning voice). First of all, I’m at my best on stage, I don’t know how he is live, so it’s any one’s game. Second, I don’t have to be better than Aaron or any other contestant. I just have to be the best that I can be and put myself out there for people to appreciate. Even if I don’t make it to the top 10 and never get to even compete against competitor X, I’ve gotten great exposure just by entering a submission and that’s what I think people miss. The prize here isn’t the money, the single or the car. The real prize here, if you are at all serious about music, is available to every one of us in the form of a huge opportunity for good exposure by simply putting in a submission!

So take it from a loser and make the winner’s choice. Submit your audition now!

The CD review of Ashira V’Azamrah

When Bayis Neeman, Yisroel Werdyger’s debut album first came out, I thought that I had heard the fusion of heimishe music and contemporary quality taken to its peak. The album was packed with great songs and was completely on par with the standards of contemporary music.

Featuring brilliant arrangements, high-end recording quality and unbelievable songwriting, the album seemed unbeatable. At the same time it was so tastefully done as to make it acceptable in even the most discerning of homes.

So when I heard claims from Gershy Moskowitz and Yossi Tyberg of Teem Productions that the new album would surpass the previous one, needless to say I was a bit doubtful. However, it became clear to me after my first listen to Ashira Va’azamra — and I have listened a good twenty times since — that the rumors were not only true but in fact quite understated.

The tight rhythm sections, top-notch recording quality, impeccable mix and perfect mastering all instantly brought back the state of euphoria I experienced with my first listen of Bayis Neeman.

Beyond that, Werdyger and his “Teem” introduced revolutionary new beats, fresh contemporary progressions and new songwriting and musical influences that added some real bite and spunk, more than anything the heimishe listener has ever heard before.

Werdyger’s voice was in top form throughout the album. While the sweetness and warmth of his voice were present in his last album, his vocal control has clearly reached new heights. The song selection, an eclectic mix from both new and established songwriters, is packed with hits that are fresh and new, yet heimish and warm.

Right off the bat, it was instantly clear that a huge amount of care was taken to make sure the album was not overdone.

As opposed to the “secular album with Jewish words” we so often find at the end of these sorts of fusion attempts, with Ashira Va’azamra we are given a completely heimishe album that has been taken to the next level of professionalism and talent.

Arranger Shua Fried lovingly crafted a musical work that with all its freshness and originality can still be brought into any home without fear of exposing one’s family to unwanted outside influences.

While I had a great deal of respect for Fried before this album, his ability to pull off such a balance without compromising the heimishe values that Werdyger and Teem Productions embrace increased my respect for him even more.

While Ashira Va’azamra has just hit the stores, in time for Chanukah, I find myself already impatiently waiting for album number three. I’d give three thumbs up if I had another hand.

Mendel “the Sheichet” Markel is a writer, journalist and singer-songwriter. He is a co-founder and regular contributing author of www.jewishmusicreport.com.

Mendel the Sheichet talks directly with Agent Emes producer Leibel Cohen about his brand new release. Agent Emes volume 11. Mendel spoke with Leibel as well as fans, young and old, at the world premiere of the latest action packed episode.

Watch the JMR Preview here:

Buy the DVD here.

Mendel the Sheichet returns to JMR with the first of hopefully many more video reviews. The first new one covers Mendy Werdyger’s just released Tomid B’Chol Yom.

COLlive.com presents: Chavlog, a Chabad niggunim video blog sung and explained by ‘A Jewish Star’ alumnus Mendel Markel. Episode 3: Vehoyo Zaracha, a new niggun from R’ Faitel Lewin for Nissan 11, 5770.

To download or play the audio of the nigun only click HERE

 COLlive.com presents: Chavlog, a Chabad niggunim video blog sung and explained by ‘A Jewish Star’ alumnus Mendel Markel. Episode #2: Kol Atzmoisai, a Shabbos davening classic from Nevel. You can also listen to audio of the nigun only or download it using the link under the video below.

To download or play the audio of the nigun only click HERE

(left click to play, to download right click and select “save target as”)

This could very possibly be the most touching thing I’ve ever listened to – and it’s not like there was a lack of touching, inpiring moments with Reb Shlomo. Special for pesach, we are proud to bring you Reb Shlomo’s “Warsaw Ghetto Mah Nishtana”. As many times as I’ve listened to this I can’t help but feel anew like I’ve just been hit by a truck… I know that’s usually bad, but this is a good truck. The kind that when it hits you, it makes you cry out “Leshana Haba’ah BiYerushalayim” from the deepest depths of your heart and soul because you really can’t take this Golus any longer.

A very special thanks to Zevi Carlebach for providing this clip. Zevi, I bless you and me and the whole world with a kosher un freilichen Pesach. May we be zoiche to a Seder where Leshana Haba’ah BiYerushalayim need not be said.

Mendel “the Sheichet” Markel

In the fall of 2007, the YU A Cappella Group set out to showcase their university’s latent cultural side. Though they didn’t yet have their cool name (a play on YU’s athletic clubs, the Maccabees) and stood pretty stiffly during their first few performances, these trailblazers cleared the way for the future of the performing arts at Yeshiva University.

Committed to the philosophy of Torah u-Madda, the integration of traditional and secular wisdom, the Maccabeats perform an eclectic array of Jewish, American, and Israeli songs. Their trademark piece, arranged by musical director Julian Horowitz, is the epitome of this synthesis, combining some of the most beloved words of Jewish liturgy – Lecha Dodi – with Leonard Cohen’s meaningful and melodic Hallelujah.

The Maccabeats have performed in venues from New York’s Madison Square Garden to Orlando, Florida (and everywhere in between), and are available to enhance a special occasion, or bring a message of Jewish life to your community.

Their debut album is set to be released in March 2010. They will also be having a FREE CD Realease Concert that is open to the community at Yeshiva University on March 22nd.

You can visit their website www.maccabeats.com for more info.

In the first of its kind, Jewish Music Report’s Mendel the Sheichet reviews a brand new CD by way of video. Mendel takes on the new Chazzanus CD from Yaacov Lemmer titled “Vimaleh Mshaloseinu“, in stores now.

Here is an audio sampler from the CD.

If you’d like to see JMR review a specific CD new or old, email us at JewishMusicReport@gmail.com

Here is a beautiful, heartwarming audio clip of the great R’ Shlomo Carlebach Z”L expounding on Parshas Beshalach. I hope my holy brothers and sisters are as inspired by it as I am. Enjoy! (please note that it’s about 1:28 into the clip where the shiur actually begins, so you may want to skip to there, unless you enjoy the minute and a half of “chevra settling in” noises like I do)

Special thanks to Zevi Carlebach for providing this amazing clip!

Mendel “the Sheichet”

Go to www.votefc.com for instructions and please make sure to share with all your Facebook friends. This is one of those rare opportunities for us regular people to make a BIG difference!

I’ve already voted. I hope you will do the same and ask your friends to as well. Together we can make a big difference.

Mendel “the Sheichet”

Here is a beautiful clip of a Kabolas Shabbos themed kumzits with  the great R’ Shlomo Z”L. Over 20 minutes of songs and Nusach Hatefiloh, interspersed with words of inspiration. This is not one of the concerts that you can find on CD but rather a simple recording of those “real” R’ Shlomo moments. 1 R’ Shlomo + 1 guitar + a handful of not-always-on-key harmonizing Chevra = Gevalt! So Holy, so special! Enjoy!

Special thanks to Zevi Carlebach for providing this amazing clip!

Mendel “the Sheichet”

“Who shined in ’09?”

Mendel the Sheichet’s faves of the year.

Best Album: Kulam Ahuvim – Mordechai Ben David. For this category I have to go with MBD’s Kulam Ahuvim. Yeedle’s spunky, fresh style and great ear for catchy tunes along with MBD’s still amazing voice and ta’am really do it for me. Coupled with superb attention to detail on everything from recording quality to the mix and master, for me this is the clear winner by a good few laps.

Best Song: B’inyan Hasimcha – Mordechai Ben David. For the best song I have to go with B’inyan Hasimcha. Beyond how well the duet works, this song is just an instant “pick-me-up”. From the lyrics, melody and arrangement to A. Razel’s fun vocs – this song just has all the elements that can turn your day around faster than a Florida real estate market crash.

Best Debut Album: Taamu – Benny Friedman. While many great artists debuted this year, I think Benny Friedman takes the cake, as he and the production team skillfully display that the bar is being raised if you want to make it in the tough Jewish music market of today. Despite the ever growing epidemic of music pirating in the Jewish market R”L, this CD quickly went into a 2nd printing and for good reason. In the next decade, this will likely be the artists to beat. Of special note as well was ABD, who ignored all the “rules” of Jewish music production and marketing and put out what was for me a huge breath of fresh air. I’m keeping my eye out for what these guys will (hopefully) put out next.

Best Arrangement:    No Lyrics – Benny Friedman. Ian Freitor’s arrangement for “No Lyrics” on Benny’s Taamu really hit the spot for me. Fresh, crisp and uplifting – who needs lyrics when you have an arrangement like this? Not me, for one.

Boys Choir Album:  Yovo – Miami Boys Choir. Lots of really great ones in this category, but all in all, one edges out for me, even if by barely a neck. With “Yovo”, Yerachmiel displays why MBC has been around for decades and still going strong. That’s not to say they didn’t have stiff competition though, with some other great albums like Kol Noar’s super fresh debut album certainly giving MBC a run for it’s money in my CD player at least.

Best English Song: Sunshine in the Rain – Shloime Kaufman. Maybe I’m just a sucker for Abie, but Sunshine in the Rain on Shloime Kaufman’s Avodas Tzedaka, featuring the legendary Abie Rotenberg, hit all the right spots in my heart – and ears of course. I always find Abie’s songs so much more poetic, original, relevant and purposeful than most of the other English songs on the Jewish music scene and this is one of his very best. The arrangement is nice but sufficiently laid back to just allow the lyrics and melody to shine for themselves and the emotional rendering by both artists is right on target.

Best Yiddish Song: Moidim – Mordechai Ben David. I’ve long loved MBD’s rendition of Yiddish songs on many of his albums, and “Moidim” is one of the best of that bunch. The story is wonderfully meaningful and the lyrics (written by Lipa I think) do that story true justice in conveying it in the highly poetic yet descriptively vivid way it does. To those lost by that last sentence (and I may be one of them) what I’m saying is that you can see the story playing out in sharp HD in your mind’s eye. Additionally, the melody shadows the emotional movement exceedingly well throughout and MBD does an amazing job of losing himself in that emotion. Long story short, great song – me like.

Best Concert DVD: Sadly I’m not very familiar with the DVDs out there. You see, most of my serious listening happens in my car. While it is equipped with a DVD player as well, my wife is adamant about watching DVDs while I’m driving being somehow unsafe. Women – go figure.

Here is a beautiful clip of “Even Mo’asu” from Hallel, interspersed with inspirational words by the great R’ Shlomo Z”L. Enjoy and a Freilichen Chanukah!

Special thanks to Zevi Carlebach for providing this amazing clip!

Mendel “the Sheichet”

note: the clip isn’t over when you hear buzzing at about 11:30 in. After about 20 seconds the clip continues.

After a long wait Shimon Kugel has finally released his new album, “Forever”. All songs on the album are Shimon Kugel compositions and are sung by him .
The music on the album was arranged and conducted by Chaim Yitzchok Goldman. “Forever” features full symphonic orchestra accompaniment  along with both adult and children choirs.
The album will be in stores this week  for more info go to www.ShimonKugel.com

Mendel “the Sheichet”

(free mp3 download link and link for lyrics & chords below, under vid)

You can download the free MP3 of Soldiers by right clicking HERE and selecting “save target as”

For lyrics and chords click HERE

To download the interview click here.

Listen here:

Benny Friedman – Taamu: a dissection by Mendel “the Sheichet”

I decided to alter my approach by not reading the insert until after this review as I think that offers more objectivity. That means I have no idea who wrote these songs, who arranged them, who engineered them – I know nothing but what my ears tell me. I’m allowing the work to speak for itself with out the bias of information. As always, I’ll be focusing on many of the technical aspects that make up the figurative individual notes of the Sonata that is the album as a whole. Before I continue, I would like to remind the reader of the technical nature of this review. The negative comments I include should be taken in stride with the songs and album as a whole.

I’m getting the feeling that many people were involved in this album because the different songs are not consistent with each other in various aspects. One gets the feeling that very different angles were taken from song to song on everything from arrangements to choirs to mixing. One of the few common denominators here seems to be that Avi Singolda is obviously playing on most of the songs, there’s no mistaking that guitar playing. The involvement of varied talent is not necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite, it can help achieve an album that still fells fresh and fun at the 8th song and beyond. On the flip side though, it makes it much more difficult to keep the thread of consistency going through the album to keep it feeling like it belongs together. I thus have to tip my hat to the brilliant individual who did the mastering, because he (or she) really did a spectacular job in bringing all the ends together. While mastering is always important to an album, it is never more so than in those albums where different teams were used for different songs. The volume level was also where it should be as opposed to most Jewish music albums that for some inexplicable reason are always quieter than their contemporary counterparts. You truly are the “master” ;-)
(p.s. – I’m gonna look at the insert when I’m done to find out who you are so I can send you a bill for my windshield that blew out of my car when I put Taamu in my CD player with the regular volume setting for Jewish music)

Benny’s voice is surprizingly well formed for a debut artist. His projection and intonation are on target and he hits the notes from on top as opposed to reaching at the bottom of the note as is generally common with newer artists. His polished performance is a big credit to his vocal coach. At the same time he doesn’t lose feeling for technique as sometimes happens with those who have very technical training. I also noticed throughout the album that while Benny has an obviously admirable vocal range, he doesn’t use it constantly, but rather wisely chooses to remain mostly towards the middle of his range and use the highs and lows just as garnish. Among other things, this makes the songs more accessible because people can actually sing the songs fairly easily. As for his voice itself, very similar to his uncle but with some serious richness and bottom end added. Need I say more?

The production team, headed up by the brilliant Avi Newmark (my apologies to the others involved for not mentioning you, but as I said before I have not read the insert yet so I don’t know who all of you are, nor what your contributions were), did a great job of letting Benny be the geshmake person that he is and allowing that to be expressed in the album. I noticed this before about Avi Newmark, for example with the recent production of Shea Rubenstein’s debut album. Avi has developed a strong sensitivity to really understanding the personality of the artists he produces and he takes every possible measure to ensure that the album direction and the artist’s personality are perfectly in stride with each other. Everything from song selection to arrangements really expresses the joyous bundle of positive energy that is Benny Friedman. The order of the songs was, I imagine, very carefully thought out. Beyond the strength of individual songs, the album stand together well as a whole. In addition, the “Benny Factor” is carefully phased in. The album starts off on classic Jewish music with strong overtones of personality, but then works its way into the more and more personal as it progresses.

As for the other aspects of the album I will have to cover them in the song by song breakdown since, as I said before, they vary from song to song. I won’t give much more attentions to things such as Benny’s voice because we all know he’s fantastic in that respect … in other words I’ll try keeping away from obvious observations.

1 – Misod – This song has an into that is somewhat old school. You know it well, the classic blaring trumpets heralding the triumphantly prancing superstar or would be superstar on stage. Luckily, the song quickly jumps into a much more contemporary sound as the 1st verse dawns. This song has great Melodic twists that keep it interesting – in other words the notes don’t always go to where you thought they were going. The bass and the guitars, which are essentially the driving forces behind the rhythm here, come through very clearly but without trampling the vocals at all. The choir work is not exactly pioneering but it does the job. Plenty of trumpet and sax for the Jewish music purist, but besides for in the intro, I didn’t find that it was overbearing. The drums could use more resonance, doesn’t seem like the entire range and sustain of the vibrations were captured – the noise gates may have been set too high. Great song, which I think will still be a classic years from now. There was a very warm pipe organ or maybe electric organ (or a very convincing digital keyboard) playing in this song which really enhances the texture, although it would have IMO been beneficial if it were a bit more forward in the mix. The mix overall is very well done. Nice warm sound but not muddy, good use of the effects, EQ etc. Based on the style of the song I would have to guess either Blumstein or Waldner created this one. I’m leaning towards the former as this song really makes me think about Shea Rubenstein’s song “Modim”, also written by Elimelech.

2 – No Lyrics – or what most of us might call a “niggun”. Here’s where the real freshness begins. Great steel string intro. The mostly sparse arrangement – piano, bass, acoustic guitar and light synths really help allow this beautiful melody to shine out. Nice New-Age type of feel. A string section electronica overlay instrumental bridge helps tie together our first taste of the freshness this production team is bringing to the table. When you have an artist with serious personality, you want to display that and that’s what they’re doing with this song. This song is basically Benny saying “You wanna be happy? Here, let me show you how”. This actually sounds like the kind of song I could see Kol Noar Choir doing. In other words, very fresh, very updated, me likes. Choir work for this song really hits the spot. Again, very nice mix job. Everything coming through nice and clear. Nice natural sound, 70′s progressive soft rock sort of feel.

3 – Ukesheim – I thought they should have jumped straight into the piano part of the intro and skipped the trumpets. They didn’t detract terribly but I didn’t find it necessary either. Really absolutely beautiful melody. Arrangements kept basic again, really highlighting the song and Benny’s angelic voice. I’m particularly admiring the mix in this song. Every note comes through clearly and the instruments all have just the right amount of reverb and warmth. I want that piano … as well as the recording engineer that did such an amazing job capturing its every tint and hue. Strings kept back in the mix just enough to add depth without detracting. Did I mention I really love that piano, ach such a full vareme sound, even on the higher notes.

4 – Taamu – While I really like the arrangements here, as well as the mix – note how every beat of the drums resonates clearly – I was at first very uncertain about this song. I am however finding that it grows on you quickly. Singolda (presumably) on the guitars keeps a nice drive going here and the bass player is just awesome. Really just going all over the place creating interesting movement and harmonies while still managing to shadow the guitar enough to support the driving rhythm. Choirs ok, but nothing to write home about. Great concept, this is the new “happy happy joy joy”.

5 – Hameracheim – Great job on the part of the recording engineers in capturing the subtle nuances of the organic instruments. This is very important in a song that they chose to arrange with a classical music arrangement. I am very happy to hear this as I’ve always been a big believer that if you go with a style, you need to really embrace it. They’ve done that here and it’s certainly successful. I do feel that the low vocals in the beginning should have been done in full projection instead of softly as the chest register vocals done softly seem to get lost in the accompaniment. Also I think the master track was possibly a touch over-compressed, which pulls some of the dimension out. Still an amazing song, but it would have been even more mind-blowing if all of the elements protruded the way they should. Benny really feels every word and I think that really makes this song. The violins and flute work are perfect and leaving out the drums was an excellent move.

6 – Moshiach – Back into the new and fresh, this acoustic dance track is done absolutely perfectly. Nice latin pop beat blends perfectly with smooth synth sounds. Everything from the choirs to the mix is right on target. Notice how the backup vocs are not shadowing the lead on much of the song, which really helps bump up the freshness levels. Really nice layering on the choir parts as well, with a nice airy sort of backing vocal used which fits in perfectly to everything happening around it. Notice also how, while there is a nice drive to the song, the arrangement is actually fairly sparse. The same holds true for the album as a whole. It seems Avi Newmark and co. took a less-is-more approach contrary to the instrumentally overcrowded scene that is the norm in most of Jewish music. The result is quite stunning. Amazing melody, this will be a fav for years to come. Benny, how did you get so happy?

7 – Kad Yasvun – I didn’t get the heimishe accent – used to be people thought every album had to have an English song, no they seem to think you have to have an altered-accent one? Regardless, geat song – almost more of a Tefilla than a song. Benny really feels the lyrics here and does an excellent job of expressing them. We really see a good deal of Benny’s range here and amazingly his voice retains the same strength in most any register, which is something rare and beautiful indeed. Good arrangement while not necessarily anything groundbreaking – but who says everything has to be? Listen to this song and you’ll understand what I was talking about in “Hameracheim”. Notice how in “Kad Yasvun” the low vocals are done fully projected. See how good that sounds? Sticks out much better too, don’t it? Also listen to the difference in how every instrument as well as the vocals seem to have a distinct “spot” in the stereo spectrum. You can almost point out exactly where each performer is standing. That, my friends, is because “Kad Yasvun” is a perfect mix. Well done!

8 – Amar – Nice laid back disco sort of feel here. I don’t feel they got the most out of Benny’s voice here in post production. I’m not sure if the vocal track got too little reverb or needed a touch more echo or possibly a touch less compression on the overall master track. Scratch that – it wasn’t the compression because the other elements of the track are standing out just fine. Maybe just the individual track is over-compressed, maybe it’s something else altogether. Nonetheless this song just has that something that makes it super danceable and super memorable. If they didn’t get the most out of Benny’s voice they definitely did get the most out of Benny’s personality. Great job with the choirs contributing to the overall feel. What really makes this song though is the percussion work, I don’t think this song would be half of what it is without that. Wisely, the percussion was kept fairly forward in the mix and was given plenty of room to move. Very catchy too – my 5 yr old was walking around singing it flawlessly after only hearing it once.

9 – Yaavdecha – Wait, I thought this is Benny’s album – why am I listening to 8th day? This is an absolutely delightful fun filled piece. The chevre from 8th day have obviously spent some time singing with “Cuz Benny” as is evident by the seamless way their voices lock together. This team really did a superb job of picking the right songs and sounds to match Benny’s personality. 9 songs in, while some I like more and others more than that, I haven’t found a dud yet. Very playful arrangement in this song – again a good example of really embracing the sort of feel you’re after without losing any of the Jewish feel. My only critique here is that I feel it would have been better to keep the beat going in the 1st pre-chorus (hevei g’veer) instead of letting it drop completely although I see what they were going for as a way to maximize the effect of the chorus. Very nice touch with the Oboe or Sop Sax (I know I’m so musically ignorant I can’t tell between an Oboe and a Soprano Sax…embarrassing, no?)

10 – Letovah – this is just completely risky and I love it. This song could have so easily flopped with any one aspect not coming together. Luckily, it all comes together quite excellently. Furthermore because it could have gone wrong at any moment, for me it kind of had that tightrope excitement that comes of dangerous musical feats. This song is a musical bungee jump and I am thoroughly thrilled by it. Nice strong rock drum beat…and there’s that bass again!!! That’s gotta be the same guy as in “Taamu” – unmistakeable style. I’m dying to read the insert now, I need to know who this bass guy is. The mix is actually kind of lousy here, they are just running Benny’s vocs over right and left – also they didn’t add enough wetness to the vocal track and you end up with a very dry Benny. Is it just me or does the choir track actually sound warped. I mean come on, it’s almost 2 in the morning (when did you think I did these reviews, I have a real job too you know, a little something to feed the kids) but I don’t think I’m so wasted as to imagine something like that. It sounds like it may have been a case of adding a flanger for cool effect and it backfired – not sure. Still, overall I absolutely love this song big time – maybe my favorite on the whole album. Of special note, check out how smoothly Benny transitions from head-voice into falsetto – seamless!!! I’m impressed!

11 – Batuach Ani – At this 11th song, where most albums are staring to tire and wind down, Taamu is still kicking it up. Great contemporary arrangement – I’m almost at the end of the album and contrary to what the intro of the first song suggested, I haven’t been crowded out by trumpet and sax parts. Avi and company are dragging us into the future of Jewish music and we’ll all be the better for it. Good job all around in the post-production department on this song. Levels are all where they should be and everything sits just right in the stereo spectrum. Effects and EQ cooked perfectly to a light pretty golden brown. Benny’s vocs come through perfectly, which is a good thing being that his rendition of this song is an absolute tear-jerker…here we thought he’s happy all the time, turns out he can cry out to the Eibershter with the best of them as well. Again, nothing groundbreaking on the choirs front, but they get the job done well enough.

12 – Emes – kind of moves back into a classic Jewish music feel, but a great song. Almost like a tribute to his uncle, Avraham Fried. Really has that sort of movement and feel of a playful Fried song, but yet there’s plenty in it that let’s us know Benny has plenty of his own to give. Lyrics are quite a masterpiece in their own right. Lots of brass here, but they held back the entire album, so it’s only fair we let ‘em get some in. The mix is right on target. The only thing I’m not getting here is that there is static under this song?!?! Someone clue me in here, how do we miss that? I’m hoping that was intentional and I’m just missing that it’s cute that it sort of sounds like a vinyl record (which it doesn’t really). It would actually be inexcusable if not for the fact that it’s such a great song. Benny Friedman – good to the last drop!

The verdict: if it would have taken 3 years to complete this album it still would have been well worth the wait. Do yourself a favor and go buy this album. I refuse to write anything more because I’m dying to see that insert. Happy listening!

I recently received a letter from my dear friend, the very talented new artist Moshe Hecht and I wanted to share this with all of you. He has taken time out of his own career to help a really amazing Organization and I ask that you please take out just a moment of your day to help support and spread awareness as well.

Mendel “the Sheichet”

Moshe’s letter:

Friends,

Recently I’ve taken some time off from working on the album to write a song for the Friendship Circle. They are an international organization with over 70 centers worldwide! Their mission is to help build a better world for children with special needs by bringing together teenage volunteers and children with special needs for hours of fun and friendship.

This Organization is very close to my heart for 2 reasons: For one I have a nephew who has down syndrome, and secondly, I was once a volunteer for the FC, so I have seen first hand what a simple visit from a friend can do for a child with special needs.

Check out www.friendshipcircle.com/song where you can hear a clip of the song, donate 99 cents and get a download of the song! All Proceeds of your donation will got to the FC’s Hard work!

Please share with all your friends and family via the email,facebook,and twitter link on the page.

Dear friends, please help me raise awareness and a few bucks, for this incredibly kind Organization :)

Enjoy the song!

Moshe