Much has been said about the recent explosion of Chassidic singers and performers, so for me to pile on is unnecessary. Since Shragee Gestetner’s new album has come out, I have listened to it extensively to really get to know the songs and to try and formulate an opinion based on a longer amount of time than I usually would before writing a review. As a whole, I think this album is a very enjoyable album and worth buying. When it comes to songs that will become popular on the wedding scene, I think it is not a fair barometer anymore to judge a new release. I am not sure why there have not been many new songs from recent albums being played at weddings (and maybe that can be a post at a later date), but the fact that there are not that many songs in the last year and a half that have come out and become big, means that we can’t judge an album by how many songs will become popular.  There are many more albums coming out today and every performer has to try to do something special or different so that people will want to buy their album. Shragee has a very sweet voice, a nice range, and he also composed some of the songs on the album, so we know he has a lot of talent to bring to the table. The album is produced by A Teem Production, Yossi Tyberg and Gershy Moskowitz, and many of the songs are composed by Yossi Green. The musical arrangements are by Shua Fried, Ilya Lishinsky, Yuval Stupel, and Mendy Hershkowitz, and while I will comment on some of the arrangements that I feel were a little underwhelming, I think as a whole they are arranged tastefully.

Here are my song by song assessments:

Sim Bracha: The 1^st thing that hit me about this song was the bass guitar solo to begin the song. If I might digress for a moment, this is a hot button topic by musicians (especially bass guitarists) in the Jewish music scene. If you go to a typical wedding, there is usually no bass guitarist and the bass lines are being played by the keyboardist. There are some keyboardists out there who can play a mean bass, but there is no replacement for the real thing. Aside for trombone, the bass guitar is probably the most underutilized instrument. For me it is a breath of fresh air, and very daring to begin the whole album with a bass guitar solo. It is amazing! The song as a whole, composed by Yossi Green and arranged by Ilya Lishinsky, is a pleasant Hora, and very enjoyable. Yossi Green adds to the song with his unmistakably unique background vocals. I am not sure why the song fades out at the end, but if there was no ending to be had, it is better than just an abrupt end (as I will expound on later).

Venizkeh: A surprisingly upbeat ballad that is just enough different to stick out, but a really nice song. The song is composed by Ari Haas and arranged by Shua Fried. Shragee sings the backup vocals himself on this song. I think the instrumentation and arrangements on this song are very tasteful. I especially enjoyed the guitar and saxophone solos, and the ending as well.

Maleh Mishalos Libi: Two slow songs one after another is not something you’ll usually find on an album, but in my book, it’s ok. This song is composed by Shragee himself, and arranged by Shua Fried. It has more of a haunting and somber feel to it. The very simple instrumentation the first time around the song is very tasteful, and I like how it progresses and builds up during the song. Shragee’s backup vocals are also very powerful in this song as well.

L’chaim: Yossi Green! Need I say more? This song is a prototypical Yossi Green song. It is an enjoyable song to listen to right up until the abrupt end. It just ends. (kinda like my assessment of the song just ended…)

Kerachem Av: This is another Yossi Green composition. The musical arrangements are by Shua Fried. This is a very nice slow and hartzige song .This is a song that really highlights Shragee’s sweet voice and range.

Dayoy: This is a very solid Hora that might be the best song on the album. It is composed by R’ Moshe Peretz Schwartz and arranged by Shua Fried. The choir is led by Moshe Kraus. There is a little techno/synthesized music that is not my favorite, but the song is so good that I can overlook it. This song also ends abruptly.

K’sheim: A real nice and catchy song. The song is composed by Shragee, the intro is composed by Pinny Ostreicher, and arranged by Ilya Lishinsky. This is a very upbeat song and is one of my favorites on the album.

Odeh Hashem: This is another Yossi Green and Shua Fried collaboration. It is a very sweet and emotional song with words (giving thanks to Hashem) that really fit the song. This song also fades out at the end.

Bnei Beischa: A very lebedik and geshmake song composed by Pinky Weber and arranged by Yuval Stupel.  There is a lot of brass in the song ala Moshe Laufer, but since I love brass, it works for me. The choir by Moshe Kraus really adds to the song as well.  I really enjoyed listening to it.

Uvruchim Heim: A beautiful and hartzige song composed by Shragee himself. The song is arranged by Shua Fried. The highlight of the song for me is the children’s choir, led by Moshe Kraus.

Moshe V’dovid: The final song on the album is a Yossi Green composition that came out a few months ago as a video in tribute to a bar mitzvah boy. It is arranged by Mendy Hershkowitz of Freilich Orchestra. I liked the song when it came out, and like even better with Shragee singing the whole song himself, with of course Yossi Green’s background vocals.

In conclusion, I feel that this album is a very solid album and an enjoyable listen. I highly recommend it. You can purchase it at http://www.topjewishmusic.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=236, http://www.mostlymusic.com/shragee.html, or anywhere good Jewish Music is sold.

As someone whose daily workout includes a two and a half mile hike through the hilly terrain that is my neighborhood, winter presents quite a challenge.  Despite the mild weather we have been having, the days are short, frequently cold and any snows really wreak havoc with my exercise routine.  A new fitness video, titled The Best of Shape Kosher Workouts, may just be the answer to my dreams.

Comprised of four twenty minute segments, each offering a different type of workout, Shape does a remarkable job bringing the gym experience into the privacy of your own home.  The instructors are appropriately attired, the music, while certainly not MBD or Avraham Fried was not in the least way objectionable, and each segment offers a warm up and cool down in addition to a nice workout.  Shape offers a choice of Zumba, Kickboxing, Pilates and something called Bootcamp which, as you can imagine, involves some pretty serious exercise.

I am sure there are those who will have objections to this video, saying that by definition Zumba isn’t kosher, it is not “our type of music” and that nice Jewish girls shouldn’t be doing any routines that involve punching or anything called kickboxing.   I suggest that you not buy this video and instead go look for a nice heimishe dance video that has Shaavtem Mayim and Shmelke’s Niggun instead.   For anyone looking for a fun, funky way to exercise, burn up calories and make fitness part of your routine, Shape is for you.

For all you men out there reading this, no need to read the rest of this post.  Let’s be realistic.  As much as your wife might enjoy this workout, if you come home, hand her an exercise DVD and say “here, I thought you might like this” she is likely to think you are suggesting she needs to lose weight and will probably throw the nearest heavy object (or the Shape DVD) at you and you will be eating peanut butter and jelly for the next three days.  If you can find a way to buy Shape for your wife without getting your head handed to you, feel free to leave a comment.  I would love to hear how you pulled it off.

For all my female readers, there really is a lot more to say.

For starters, I was very curious to see how they were going to present this in a way that would afford a real workout and yet still be tzniusdik and honestly, I think they did a great job.  Dressed in lightweight below the knee flared skirts over of leggings, t-shirts and shells (duh, all black, of course…this is New York, black is the only color in our fashion rainbow) they are modestly clad but still able to move.  Yes, there are instructors doing workouts in sheitels.  I don’t know how they do it, but they do.

As for the workouts themselves, two of them (Pilates and Bootcamp) are more like typical exercise segments and are fairly easy to follow, although somewhat challenging for the not-so-physically-fit.  The other two (Zumba and Kickboxing) are dance segments, broken down into four and five minute dances and, like any other dance, it does take time to master the steps.  The instructors call out most of the steps as they are doing them and as an added bonus, they are shown at both an easier and a more challenging level in order to accommodate people at different levels of physical fitness.  The instructors, who appear to be made out of rubber and have no internal organs given how flexible they were and how easy they made every move look, were encouraging without being annoyingly perky or demanding and the routines were fun, if a little intimidating at first.  The routines must have accomplished something as I could feel numerous muscle groups aching the next day.

The sound is a little off on the Bootcamp segment, but it is still easy to follow Tammy as she finds new and creative ways to make you torture muscles you didn’t even know you had. Be aware that you will likely embarrass yourself the first few times you watch this video until you get the routines down pat and you probably want to lock the door so that you don’t humiliate yourself in front of anyone who happens to be around.  But hang in there, it is loads of fun once you get the hang of the routines.

All in all, I really enjoyed this video and think it will yield tremendous results for anyone who takes the time to incorporate it into their daily routine.  Available at your local Judaica store or at www.mostlymusic.com for $22.99 it is probably one of the cheapest exercise plans out there and well worth the money.

Just when one may think that the Jewish music world was saturated with enough singers, the ” esTeemed” Teem Productions has treated us to Shragee Gestetner, a Haimishe Yingerman that sings songs with a wide range of styles that will please everyone who has taste for Jewish music. He has a clear sweet voice that reminds me of Shloime Gertner. So if you are a Gertner fan like most of us, you gotta get hooked on to Shragee!

The album consists of 11 songs. 5 are composed by Yossi Green – himself a multi-faceted composer and the best in the business. 3  are composed by Shragee himself and he is not a novice in composing great songs. For example, Shragee composed a song Anim Zemiros  for Shloime Daskal’s album. The remaining 3 are composed by Pinky Weber, Ari Haas and Moishe Peretz Schwartz.

Most songs are arranged by Shua Fried who is an amazing arranger and keeps getting better.

The songs on the album that stand out the most are as follows:

#3- Malei Mishalois Libi composed by Shragee is a hauntingly beautiful song. At the 4:10 mark, he comes in like a backup vocalist in a big time powerful way that’s very meoirer.

#5 – Kerachem Av composed by Yossi Green is a really hartzige nigun. (It’s funny that the last time I remember Yossi composing a song with these words was with New York School Volume 2 in the 70′s…) But you gotta hear this song…. Chamoil, Chamoil,Chamoil al ameichu….and the arrangements at the end of the song…very touchy.

#6 is Dayoy composed by Moishe Peretz Schwartz – The words are “Ma yisoinein ho-odom chai, dayoi shehu chai”. I remember hearing a drasha from Reb Zelig Pliskin that always talks about happiness and he mentioned this phrase base on a passuk in Eicha and that once a person appreciates the fact that he is alive there is nothing to complain about. This song brings out this yesoid in a powerful Hora – style way. So if someone fels a little down, he can just turn on this song and immediately start dancing!

#7 is Kesheim she-ani roikeid composed by Shragee. It is upbeat and catchy and reminds me of Dovid Gabay’s Havi’i Bonai from his first album.

#9 song is a leibedike geshmake nigun composed by Pinky Weber called Benei Baischa.

#10 is Uvruchim Heim composed by Shragee. It’s a really varemeh song and maybe the best song on the album. It includes a chidren and adult choir led by Moishy Kraus.

To sum up, when you have a new singer that has the best composer for the biggest portion of his songs, and includes his own compositions ” in er hot nisht vus tzi sheimen” then you know it’s a smashing success.

By Kol Isha

(If reposted please include link and credit to JewishMusicReport.com)

Having seen my share of HASC videos and having heard the timeless classics that were introduced at HASC concerts over the years, going to an actual HASC concert, long touted as “the concert of the year” has always been on my to do list.  Being presented with a pair of tickets to a HASC concert seemed like a golden opportunity to experience this musical event firsthand.

As with any concert, there are both advantages and disadvantages to seeing an event in person.   A concert video doesn’t capture the energy and the excitement of a sold out audience, the majesty of a room like Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall which seats 2,738 people.  But a live performance doesn’t offer any chance for do-overs.  You have one chance to get it right and if you mess up, chances are good that people will notice.

This year marked the 25^th anniversary of the annual concert originally conceived by Sheya Mendlowitz as a fundraiser for the children of Camp HASC and in general, the concert focused more on the concept of the HASC concert than the music itself.  That is not to say that there weren’t some memorable performances, but by and large the night was all about the concert itself.  Performers were mostly limited to a single song each, with a never ending stream of singers taking the stage one after another, introduced by the number of times they had each appeared in previous concerts.  Only two acts were invited for a debut on the legendary HASC stage:  The Maccabeats and 8^th Day.

The evening began promptly at 7:30 as advertised, with Yisroel Lamm conducting a Neginah orchestra that had approximately twelve pieces.  The HASC choir, led by Shloime Kaufman and featuring Sholom Jacobs, Yaakov Klein, Yaakov Ettinger, Meir Popowitz, Asher Fine and Shua Nachman,  was on the stage for much of the night and did an outstanding job. The stage featured a big center video screen flanked by two 21 feet high banners bearing the words “HASC 25 A Time For Music,” artfully designed as was all the HASC artwork.

Before I go through all the songs, let me just issue a disclaimer.  I will probably get some names wrong.  Feel free to correct me in the comments section and I will be happy to make changes as needed.

First up on stage were Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, Shloime Gertner and Ohad who used the nusach of Maariv for Kol Nidrei night as an introduction to a set of songs including Ribono Shel Olam, the HASC classic Small Piece of Heaven, Abi Mileibt, Adi-Tanya as performed at HASC 20 and Avraham Fried’s Shalom Aleichem.  Dedi came onstage to join the quartet and the group sang Dedi’s Kulanu Nashir B’Yachad, with lots of help from the audience, occasionally substituting the words “twenty five years together” for “everyone sing together”.

A breakdancer dressed up as the aging Six Flags dancer used in previous HASC campaigns came on stage for a few moments and the last song sung by the group was London School of Jewish Song’s Mareh Cohen.

Next up was a quick, modified video clip of Dovid Gabay learning with his son, from the Ana Avda video released by Sheya Mendlowitz in conjunction with his Big Time Alte Heim album, followed by Dovid Gabay dancing all over the stage as he sang Ana Avda with the choir.  Abie Rotenberg was introduced as the HASC record holder, having appeared at fourteen HASC concerts and he spoke briefly and beautifully about both HASC and concert founder Sheya Mendlowitz who was not in attendance.  After asking the audience to give Sheya a standing ovation, Abie launched into the first song he ever wrote for HASC, the truly touching Who Am I, which all these years later is still as beautiful as ever.

Zale Newman, master of ceremonies for the first six concerts introduced the next segment of the evening, paying tribute to six performers who had previously graced the HASC stage but are no longer with us.  After first mentioning Laibel Heshel, Danny Berkowitz of Menucha and Mikey Butler, Newman introduced musical tributes to three musical greats who were all HASC alumni:  Shlomo Carlebach, Jo Amar and Moshe Yess.  Eitan Katz, Yehuda Green, Chaim Dovid and violinist Ruby Harris performed Carlebach’s U’fros Aleinu followed by Hashem Oz.  Ohad returned to the stage for an impressive performance of Jo Amar’s Barcelona, followed by Avraham Fried singing Moshe Yess’ signature song My Zaidy.

The next singer, Israeli entertainer Yoel Sharabi, was introduced by Uncle Moishy as one of the original HASC performers.  Sharabi, who plays several instruments proficiently, came out on stage with bongos, beginning with a few bars of the chorus of the classic Kol Haolam Kulo, before launching into a rendition of the Eyal Golan hit Mi Shemaamin, recently redone and made popular by up and coming superstar Benny Friedman.  While the middle aged Sharabi can’t possibly match the energy and voice of Friedman who is so many years his junior, he gave an enthusiastic performance, jumping all over the stage with a temporary segue into Mordechai Ben David’s Mitzvah Gedola.

Next on stage was concert chairman Miles Berger.  After all, you can’t possibly have a benefit concert without thanking all those involved in the process, can you?  But the expressions of gratitude were short and in no time at all, Shalsheles and Shalsheles Jr. took the stage.  Neither group was full, as both Simcha Sussman and Edan Pinchot live outside of the New York area and were absent.  Following a short medley of Heyma and Gadol, the Maccabeats (or most of them anyway) appeared singing their viral hit, Candlelight.

Chazzan Yitzchok Meir Helfgott delivered a flawless performance of Moshe V’Aaron  and was followed by Lipa, in an electric jacket and hat.  I mean, literally electric, as the trim on both Lipa’s jacket and hat were trimmed with lights, which was pretty cool on a darkened stage. Lipa launched into a cute bit as he reminisced about previous concerts and a video showed first a five year old Lipa singing at his home in New Square when the HASC concert series began and we see Lipa singing at age ten, then at age twelve in his first pair of unconventional glasses, which Lipa described as having been paid for by Medicare.  Lipa continued in his musical musings, consistently crediting the wrong singer with a particular song, describing Shlomo Carelbach singing Diet, Abish Brodt singing Ya’alili and launching into a nigun he claims to sing every Shabbos with his children, the theme from the Godfather, before conductor Yisroel Lamm attempted to set him straight.

Up next was, what for me was probably the best performance of the night, as Journeys, aka Abie Rotenberg, Elie Kranzler and Gershon Veroba took the stage, singing Abie’s first English song, Time to Say Good Shabbos.  From there it was time for the second debut performance of the night as 8^th Day rocked the house with Ya’alili.  Another tribute followed, this time to the numerous gedolim that were niftar recently, by the trio of Srully Williger, Mendy Wald and Shloime Dachs singing the touching songs Lev Tahor and Acheinu.  Sadly the accompanying background video with pictures of the gedolim never went on.

Dedi was the next performer to take the stage which was already occupied by a royal guardsman, one of the unsmiling sentries who flank the gates of Buckingham palace.  In an attempt to get the guardsman to smile, Dedi hums Shloime Gertner’s Shmeichel, but to no avail.  Hoping that perhaps a fellow Englishman would have more success coaxing a smile out of the guard, Dedi is joined by Gertner and after a rousing chorus of Shmeichel and Dedi’s V’Koivei, the guardsman starts to loosen up, as his limbs start to twitch and by the end of the set he removes his tall black hat, puts it in front of his face and we are rewarded with a smile from the Justin Bieber look alike dancer who we first saw at the Ohel concert this past November.

Singer/Composer Baruch Levine took a seat at the piano bench, singing Bitchu from his latest album, Hashkifa, followed by a song and dance number from Miami Boys Choir as the boys bounced all over the stage singing the opening track from their latest album, Shema Yisroel.

The evening ended on a bizarre note, as Yigal Calek took the podium, reminiscing about his youth in Tel Aviv, as he was addicted to music but there was no Jewish music available and in a short sermon, he both thanked HASC for a quarter of a century of beautiful concerts and chastened the performers to keep the “Jewish” in Jewish music.

A video of Camp HASC set to Avraham Fried’s Forever One was a poignant reminder of what the HASC concert series is all about, as the beautiful faces of the HASC children and the dedicated staff filled the large video screen.  The entire cast gathered onstage for the HASC theme song, Candles, complete, of course, with candles illuminating the darkened stage in addition to Lipa’s electric couture.

There is no question that while the HASC concert is a huge fundraiser and one of the most highly anticipated musical events of the year.  For music lovers everywhere, the fact that other organizations have also begun staging top notch fundraising concerts that give HASC a run for its money is a positive development as it raises the musical bar for everyone.  For those who are looking for musical perfection, where every vocal and every note is dead on, I strongly suggest you stay home and wait for the HASC concert to come out on video.   For those who are looking  to make a sizable donation to Camp HASC, while enjoying an evening of live music, you might want to start thinking about HASC 26 before it, too, sells out.

The release of Mi Shemaamin, an infectious single released last week by crowd pleaser Benny Friedman, marks the first time that I have ever reviewed a single.  Then again, there aren’t too many singles out that grabbed me like this one did, with it’s can’t miss message of emunah and bitachon set to a soundtrack that just doesn’t quit.

The song originally appeared on an album called Derech Lachaim, released by singer Israeli Eyal Golan in January 2010.  A quick glance on YouTube reveals that this is clearly a popular song.  Golan’s original version has over 3,800,000 hits and it was also recorded by Meydad Tasa, as well as being adopted by several summer camps.  What makes this song so well loved is the combination of a terrific composition, paired with killer lyrics.  Add in the dream team of singer Benny Friedman, producer Avi Newmark and engineer Ian Freitor and this version of Mi Shemaamin really stands out.

What makes this song so popular is that aside from being great from a musical perspective, its lyrics define the essence of Judaism.

“The song expresses a pride and a joy in being Jewish, in being Hashem’s chosen people, and it also expresses Hashem’s love in return for us,” explained Benny Friedman.  “Some people have the misconception that G-d and G-dliness are the exclusive property of religious people. But then along comes Eyal Golan, an artist who does not call himself Dati, or Charedi, or anything like that, but most certainly still counts himself among the believers, who have nothing to fear because ‘Lanu Yesh et Melech Haolam,’ Hashem loves them because they are his children and we love Him for the same reason, and whatever it is we might do in our spare time doesn’t get in the way of that very basic and unbreakable love that exists between our Father and us.”

The song was also recorded in honor of the Israeli Defense Force and the cover art for the single depicts an Israeli soldier, wrapped in tallis and tefillin, standing in front of a tank.

“I want to dedicate this song to the Israeli army,” said Avi Newmark.  “As we saw in the case of Gilad Shalit, we kept the emunah and he came back to us. When I heard the news of Shalit’s release it was this song that instantly came to my head. The IDF is what keeps our nation alive and the Jewish flame burning strong. It is our small way of saying thank you to them.”

The song is available for 99 cent download on both Mostly Music and iTunes.

Well,well, well, Marvelous Midos Machine #3  told a story about a time machine going back in time and contrasting 1968 to 1988. Well it took 23 years, but Volume 4 has arrived in 2011. However, we are transported back to 1988 because the story picks up just where it left off. Shnooky(Abie Rotenberg) is about to become Bar Mitzva and comes with his brother Shloompie (Moish Blaustein)and Dizzy (Shloimie Goldreich) to Dr. Midos (Rabbi Shmuel Klein) to invite him to shul for the first time he puts on his tefillin and show him his Tefillin, when they realize in horror that they switched bags with a Chinese man and instead of Tefillin they have fortune cookies!!! The story is full of suspense as they try to hunt down the tefillin. Along the way they are involved in saving the U.S. president after he was kidnapped, and he ends up finding Shnooky’s tefillin and giving it back to him.

Now this story is sort of a time machine because it talks about President Reagan, not Obama. Also, TWA – which is not around anymore and Polaroid cameras.However, the kids of 1988 are introduced to the “Middos-pod” an invention of the new millenium. It also mentions other new things like sushi.

The booklet starts with a lovely tribute by the producer Abie Rotenberg to the late Moshe Yess a”h with a picture of him. Moshe was the voice of Dr. Doomshtein and sang “I’m a Hippopotamus” and was “a creative partner in the birth of the MMM.” which was born winter of ’86 when they both lived in Toronto with little kids and decided to do an entertaining yet educational album for kids.

The first midda is patience. Anybody with kids knows this situation! I love how Abie sings the word “paaatiiiieeeennce” to slow down and not feel that you must have it now. That tune keeps playing in my head.

The next one is chesed. We are treated to the sweet voice of Baruch Levine singing a hartzige song by Rabbi Shmuel Klein. The words describe how one should put himself in somebody else’s shoes and how important it is – oilom chesed yibone and that one becomes like Hashem when he does chesed – hadbeik bimidoisov. It’s a really beautiful song – especially by the harmony with a  child soloist.

Dizzy comes thru with his cute quips like calling Shloompie “shloompers” and Shnooky “Shnookels”and his youthful enthusiasm describing the kiddush in shul.

The next midda is “Mevater”. It is explained beautifully by Dr. Middos. They could have gone the easy route and teach a lesson about being selfish, but instead they took the story and song to another level and shows how even if someone has the full right, it is a great thing to give away of himself for somebody else.

Finally, the last midda is hislahavus – enthusiasm. Another thing that wasn’t around in 1988 – the town Ramat Bet Shemesh. The MMM goes global! It’s very cute hearing kids with Israeli accents (even though I’m sure we can hear plenty American accents in Ramat Bet Shemesh). And Dr. Middos as a former English teacher can’t resist but correct Shnooky with how to pronounce “enthusiastic”. The guest singer is appropriately Shloime Simcha who sings with a bren. The song  ignites a spark in the neshoma  and to look at Mitzvos as gifts to to want to serve Hashem with a geshmak as it says “Vichai Bohem”.

Then a surprise guest – Uncle Moishy and it’s Dr. Middos who convinces him in 1988 to come out with videos. It’s also nostalgic as Uncle Moishy talks about vising Country Yossi to go over the latest Kivi and Tuki tapes.

Then Dr. Middos finds a “cassette” from Shnooky that he wrote a song about being a “Bar Mitzva” . It is actually composed by Shnooky (Abie Rotenberg). It is sung beautifully by Tzvi Felder. It describes all the ingredients of a Bar Mitzva – not just turning 13, but among other things – that Hashem loves us and we should not let him down.

At the end we have a special appearance by Ronald Reagan… just in time for the Republican primaries! Which candidate represents his values? It arouses emotions about how we miss him and are lacking a leader of his caliber since he left office. At the end Reagan calls Shnooky “Master Shnooky” . The title “Master” is used for a boy instead of “Mister”. I am pointing this out because in all the years living here in New York I never heard that and it is probably more used in Canada than in the U.S. and many listeners wouldn’t understand that title.

So I would like to congratulate my friend Rabbi Shmuel Klein on his performance with another great album! Keep up the great work!

My first reaction listening to this album is where have they found this special talent? I have never seen any videos of him singing at weddings, like I have of most of the newest singing sensations. I have never heard of him, and I am probably not alone here. Amram Adar seems to have burst onto the Jewish Music scene (well actually danced his way in with his music video release) and taken us by storm. Amram is as versatile of a vocalist as I’ve heard. He can sing Ashkenaz, Sefard, Yeshivish, Chasidish, and Chazanus, and all of these really well. His voice is polished and full, and his range is amazing as well. Amram shows us he excels in singing both fast and slow songs. I don’t know if Yochi Briskman is the one who discovered him, but he has a great track record producing albums for solid and talented performers, and Amram Adar can be added onto that list as well. The album, Baruch Hashem, is sure to become a hit album, and I am confident that some of the songs will become big hits as well.

Baruch Hashem- As the title track of the album, this song really starts off with a bang! There are 6 different languages used to begin the song; Hebrew, Spanish, English, Russian, French, and of course Yiddish. It’s a very catchy tune, composed by Yitzy Waldner. The intro sounds like a classic Moshe Mona Rosenblum piece, complete with some nice piano and brass parts and he is the arranger of the song. This song really brings out Amram’s voice and is a great song to start off the album.

V’ilu – Wow! I think that sums up my opinion of the song. We all know Yochanan Shapiro, of Acheinu fame, is an amazing composer, and therefore we expect nothing less than an amazing and hartzige song from him. Add in Yanky Briskman’s arrangements and Amram’s sweet voice, and this has a chance to be a real hit song.

Halaila – This is the song featured on the recent music video that Amram released. It is mostly techno music, arranged by techno master Ian Freitor. This is a catchy horah composed by Yitzy Waldner.

Boee Kallah – This song is another sweet and hartzige song. It is composed by famous composer Yitzy Waldner, the main composer on the album, and arranged by the legendary Moshe Laufer. I can just hear this song as a staple by Chupas and as dinner music.

Aneini – A real nice upbeat song composed and arranged by well known Israeli musician and band leader Yoni Eliav.

Kesser/Kodosh – This is a two part song. The first part is a nice piece of chazzanus, composed and arranged by Dr. Mordechai Sobol, a legend in the world of chazzanus. Amram shows his versatility by doing an amazing job on the chazzanus. The other part of the song is composed by Yitzy Waldner, and arranged by Dr. Sobol’s son, Ofir, also a legend in the world of chazzanus. This song as a whole has more of a chazzanus feel, and as such, is not the usual style you would find on a regular Jewish music album. Nonetheless, it is a nice and enjoyable song.

Git Voch – Another Yitzy Waldner song set to the words of Havdala with added Yiddish words, hence the name Git Voch. The song is arranged by Ian Freitor. Although Ian usually is into techno programming, he also proves here is a talented arranger with regular instruments as well. This song is not one of my favorites, but is an ok song.

Ad Matai – A touching song about the long galus we are in. This is the Hebrew version of the song. The song is co-composed by Yoel D. Goldstein and Yitzy Waldner, arranged by Yonatan Razel, and features child soloist Moshe Green.  The Hebrew lyrics are written by Srulik Adler. This is the type of song that I expect to see eventually on Youtube with a touching video attached.

Moshiach – This is a catchy and upbeat song, which I find to be the perfect ending to the previous song. The meaning of the words is that we should be zoche to greet Moshiach! This song is composed by Yoni Eliav, and arranged by Moshe Laufer & Yanky Briskman.

Brich – Another sweet and hartzige song, this one co-composed by Amram Adar & Yitzy Waldner, and arranged by Moshe Laufer. From all the slow songs on the album, this is the weakest, which just speaks to how solid and amazing this album is! Brich also features child soloist Moshe Green.

Yismach – This song stats off in more of a sefardi style hora eventually switching to a disco beat. It’s a nice solid song that might also find its way onto the dance floor. Yismach is composed by Yitzy Waldner, and arranged by Moshe Mona Rosenblum.

Ad Mosai – This is a Yiddish version of Ad Matai, with the Yiddish lyrics written by famous badchan Motty Ilowitz.

In conclusion, this seems to be an amazing debut album by a real exciting performer. To buy baruch Hashem visit http://www.mostlymusic.com/adar-baruch-hashem.html or wherever quality Jewish music is sold.

Beri Weber – Thank You Hashem

Naftali Schnitzler does it again! The new Beri Weber album, “Thank You Hashem” is out in stores, and is worthwhile as a Chanukah gift for a friend or for you!

Vani Bechasdecha – The song provides a solid start to this album. The words, Vaani Bechasdecha Batachti Yagel Libi B’Shuasecha, are the only words in the song. There are some very unique arrangements in this track. The song is energetic, with a simple and profound meaning. Its simplicity creates its profundity.

Thank You Hashem – This is the title track, which has a display of Yiddish, English, Hebrew and a variety of other languages. Would you believe Lipa Schmeltzer composed and wrote the lyrics? The message: Thank You Hashem! This has a rock theme with some unique arrangements which keeps it entertaining throughout. At almost 3 minutes in the track, the music slows and he adds a classic Carlebach ‘Return Again’ theme to give the album a whole other element which enhances the song – nice touch. It is clear that Beri and company had fun with this track. Thank You Beri!

Zechor – This is a slow song which asks Hashem to remember the love of Yerushalayim and Eretz Yisroel. The song has a classic new age slow sound to it, but the greatness of the album is that, once again, Beri keeps the song to few words which makes it easy to learn.

Chabadsker Nigun – This song begins by fading in an acapella choir singing and clapping in a classic klezmer style. The song then quickly turns into a cool techno-hora. The music in this track is excellent and energetic.  This songs take a long time classic and raises the bar.

L’Chu Neranena – Just imagine Beri out in the field singing by himself and while he is singing, he happens upon a band that happened to be waiting for him a few feet away.  This song begins with birds chirping and Beri singing alone, and then breaks into a reggae style feel. I doubt this song will actually be used to welcome the Shabbos Malka, but this is a great song! Shkoyach!

Acheinu (or Achaini) – This music for this track sounds Disney-like with chimes and piano. This is another solid slow song for Acheinu Kol Bais Yisroel. Beautiful.

Inenu – Composed by Lipa Schmeltzer. This song is fun fun fun! This song will be part of the regular wedding repertoire immediately. Are you ready for this one?!

Esa Einai – This one is a heartzig slow tune.

Sheyibone – This song starts out with a choral arrangement the traditional chazzanishe shtickel for Sheyibone Bais Hamikdash. That introduction is followed by an upbeat version of the same words using a mix of sefardishe and pop styles. As is thematic from the entire album there seems to be an element of entertainment in many of these tracks that keeps it interesting. There is nothing like a chassidishe singer using a Sefardi accent!

Haneshama – This song is both Hebrew and English and has a secular slow rock sound to it. This is a very profound song and a unique track to this album.

Tate – This song, seemingly a sister song to Lipa’s Heib Oif Dana Hentelech is catchy and brings an energy to make you not want to turn the album off. It includes some very creative choral arrangements as well.

I highly recommend this album. Please purchase it for friends and family! Thank You Hashem!

This past Monday night London hosted its second annual Hatsoloh concert featuring Yaakov Shweky and Baruch Levine.  The concert was one of the best I’ve been to in a while, and was certainly worth the trip from Manchester.

As I entered the hall I could tell it was going to be a good night.  Most ofthe seats were full, and on the projected screen was the DVD form Caesarea II and got the audience (or at least myself), ready for the night ahead.

Very shortly the lights dimmed and the orchestra conducted by Yaakov and Baruch’s world renowned producer, Yochi Briskman, opened with an overture compromising of Shwekey’s hit songs with an overture that was very similar to the one from the latest Caesaria DVD

Yaakov’s Chavrusah in Kollel Rabbi Shlomoh Farhi, now living in London working for Aish Hatorah, received a last minute call to host the show and then agreed to do so. Rabbi Farhi first introduced Baruch Levine and commented how caring Baruch is as a person, and pointed out that his initials even spell the word לב.

Baruch Levine then burst onto the stage singing his hit song Chosson Hatorah and the crowd went wild, after the song he said how much of a pleasure it was to be in the UK for his first time and told the audience of his English connections, from his Grandparents before they moved to Canada, which (as Baruch joked about) was once owned by England.

Baruch than sang one of the biggest hits in recent years, Vezakeini, and all the crowed joined in, and was moved by his rendition of the title track of his debut album, he dedicated the song to all the young children in the audience, Baruch then thanked the audience before leaving the stage, and Rabbi Farhi returned.

Rabbi Farhi told the audience about some of his experiences with his friend, and how much of an inspiration he is, and then the headline act came out. Yaakov Shwekey was greeted by a huge round of applause, and everyone was excited. Yaakov entered singing Libi B’mizrach, the title trach of the hit sefardi album he brought out just over a year ago.

After the song Shwekey told the crowd how happy he was to have been invited back to England again, he told us that English crowds are way better and livelier than New York crowds, (something  which I  certainly agree on) and then sang Im Eshkocheich. This song is one of his most famous songs, and comes from his Y’Did album, this was the 3^rd time I have seen Yaakov live and this sing always creates high emotions running through me, the only negative was that I felt this song was done to early on.

His next song was Areivim, from Ad Bli Dai which he dedicated this song to all of Am Yisrael especially his friend from Israel who was in the audience last night. Areivim is certainly one of my favorite songs from Ad Bli Dai and was wonderful hear it sung live.

Next up was a medley, Yaakov said that a special audience like ours deserves a special medley and this one was made just for the occasion. The medley opened with Mama Rochel – this song became an instant hit when it was first released.  The second song of the medley was Tatte, originally by Dveykus and then sung by Shwekey on his fourth album Leshem Shomayim with the original lyrics written by his rosh yeshiva.  The final song of the medley was my sister’s favorite Shwekey song, Shema Yisrael. This medley had the crowed united and everyone joined arms together and swayed to the side.

Then Yaakov bust into Kol Mevaser,  one of my favorite songs at the moment, written by Yitzy Waldner and fist released on live in Caesarria II. This song had the crowed going wild – and deservedly so, it’s a very good fast song and with as Yaakov as a performer as well as a singer I’m not surprised at the crowd’s reaction.

For the final song of the set, Baruch Levine joined Yaakov on stage and together they sang V’hoo Keili, a slow and great kumzits song and originally featured on Baruch’s debut album with guest vocals from Yaakov. The two performer left the stage together to applause from the crowd.

As the performers relaxed and had a much needed break, a short video was shown and a speech from the president of Hatsoloh UK about the amazing work hatzoloh do, and pledged for donations for the needy cause.

Next was a surprise, International superstar, originally from London but has been living in America for a few years was Chazzan Shimon Craimer.  It was clear from the audience’s reaction how welcome he was back in his home town.

Baruch Levine  returned to the stage, with one of my favorites- Kol Haberuim, this got the audience alive again after the short break, and he then sang Piano Boy, from his English album, a song which tells the story about what we can all achieve.

Yaakov Shwekey returned to the stage with Veshochanti from Ad Bli Dai, and he got the crowd were on their feet dancing, before singing Bo’ee B’shallom, a slow song but one of the best slow songs on libi B’Mizrach.

Then came the song I’d been waiting for, again from Libi B’mizrach, Raoo Banim, a catchy song written by Yonatan Razel, and everyone enjoyed it.

Baruch Levine then came to rejoin Shwekey on stage. Yaakov, told the audience that upon hearing the news of the passing of one of his best friends he called Baruch asking him to write a song about refuah.  The song was first featured on Caesaria and then again on Boruch’s new album – Hashkifah, and the two of them singing together was a wonderful experience. Yaakov dedicated the song to all the kids from Camp Simcha who were in the audience.

Then came the finale song, certainly one of the  biggest wedding hits from the last few years, – Ma ma ma, another Yitzy Waldner composition.  Baruch then returned to the stage, and the two singers wore hatzolah jackets and danced together, I didn’t realize that Baruch had some good moves.

After the performers left the stage, it was time for the encore as no Shwekey concert is complete without Vehee She’omda, another Yonatan Razel song and another massive hit.

This was certainly an amazing concert, and cannot wait for next time. My only wish was that Shwekey would have sung Hakadosh Boruch Hoo from Libi B’Mizrach, another of my favorites, but even without it the concert was still worth the long trip.

How often can an album be released featuring an all star lineup of Mordechai Ben David, Lipa Schmelczer, Dovid Gabay, Shloime Gertner, the Mezamrim Choir, Chilik Frank and the Freilach Orchestra, produced by Sheya Mendlowitz, and arranged by Suki Berry,  and seemingly not even register a blip on the Jewish Music scene? Then again, with most of the musical focus nowadays on new sounds and styles, this album, Big Time Alter Heim – Then and Now, is one that could fly under the radar, undeservingly so. Set in a wedding type format this album mixes some older classics with some newer classics to make a very pleasant and enjoyable to listen to album. Since, this is not an album with brand new songs (except one) I will not do a song by song review, but will give some highlights of each medley.

Opening Medley (Od Yishoma) – This medley features Lipa Schmelczer, Dovid Gabay, clarinet virtuoso Chilik Frank, and both the Mezamrim Choir, under the leadership of Chilu Posen, and the Moshy Kraus choir. This begins with a couple of classic od yishoma songs. Although I am not a fan of the Israeli “knaytch” on the 1^st od yishoma, I still love the song itself. It also features a few classic chassidishe songs, including V’chol Karnei and Tzali Voroini, a favorite of my Rosh Yeshiva’s, a Rav Shmuel Brazil and Regesh classic, Uvo Litziyon, one of Baruch Levine’s nicer freilich songs, Avinu Malkeinu Galay, and ends with another wedding classic, Vayehi Bshurun. Between the songs themselves, the musical arrangements, and the harmonies of the choirs, this is a real solid medley.

Chupa Selections are the next five tracks. My favorites are Mama Rochel, a Mordechai Ben David classic, as Mi Adir, with MBD himself singing, a stirring rendition of The London School of Jewish Song’s B’ein Malitz Yosher by fellow Englishman Shloime Gertner, and another London School of Jewish Song classic, Hamalach, sung to the words of Mi Bon Siach by the Mezamrim Choir. All in all these selections are very calming and beautifully arranged.

Anah Avdah – This is the only brand new song on the album. It is a techno style song, that people who have read my reviews before know is not my favorite style of music. I must say that Dovid Gabay does an amazing vocal job on this song, and the animated video that was created from this song (http://youtu.be/9PWEAQ6RPIw) has been a big hit with many people, including my children and has over 25,000 views on YouTube. A JMR colleague of mine recently told me that for many it was the high point of the album.

Marches- the next medley is a couple of famous chassidishe marches sung by the Mezamrim Choir. This is also a very nice and relaxing listen.

K’neses Yisroel – a beautiful song composed by Shloime Kalish, and with Yiddish lyrics by Lipa Schmelczer, who also is the main vocalist on this song.

Closing Sameach Medley – The last medley on the album is a very interesting mix of songs. It begins with Sameach, which I had only heard before as an Uncle Moishy song, and one that I have always enjoyed. It follows with a Chabad niggun, B’cho Hashem and a Satmer niggun, U’vchein, which Lipa Schmelczer not only sings on this album but also on Non Stop Lipa. Two MBD classics follow, Samcheinu, from his Mashiach album, and a newer classic, Kulam Ahuvim. The medley ends with two older classics Chaim Shetehay, a Moshe Laufer song, and Vosik, a Chaim Banet special. In addition to Lipa, vocals on this medley feature both choirs, MBD, Dovid Gabay and up and comer Shalom Jacobs. The ending on this medley is a classic “back in the day” Suki Berry/MBD ending.

All in all this is a very enjoyable and relaxing album. If you are looking to wax nostalgic and hear what Jewish music once sounded like, I totally recommend this album. It is available at http://www.jewishjukebox.com/products/jewish_wedding_music/2362.asp, at mostly music http://www.mostlymusic.com/big-time-alter-heim-then-now.html, and wherever good Jewish music is sold.

Let me preface this concert recap by saying that I hope my fifteen year old son never reads this review, because he was dying to come to the Ohel concert but I refused to take him out of yeshiva four hours early just to come to a concert.  After all, there are plenty of concerts, right?

Well, right and wrong.  There are plenty of concerts.  But concerts like last night’s The Music We Love are few and far between.  In the words of one music industry insider after the concert, “The future of Jewish music took a turn for awesomeness tonight.”  What made this concert great was that while it was a mix of old music and new, most of the faces on the stage tonight represent the future of Jewish music and while oftentimes concerts seem stale and formulaic, these performers on the whole, were fresh, energy filled and made it obvious that while there are those who say Jewish music is dying, it is indeed, alive and well, and kicking up quite a storm.

The folks at Ohel took a huge gamble when they decided to stage a concert and keep the lineup top secret.  Were people really going to spend big bucks to come to a show without knowing who the performers would be?  The answer, apparently, was yes, as Mason Hall at the Baruch Performing Arts Center was completely sold out for the annual benefit concert.  Unlike most secrets in the Jewish music business, this one actually stayed secret.  While people ventured guesses as to the identity of the performers after the final concert ad provided a list of clues, no one except for a select few knew what the lineup was going to be.

The venue, Mason Hall, was an excellent choice.  The room was appropriately sized:  spacious enough that it didn’t feel claustrophobic but small enough to give the room an intimate feel.  For those who took the time to look around the room, the architecture was nothing short of magnificent.

But we don’t go to concerts to check out the ceilings, do we?  It was just the scenery that was top notch, on the whole, the music was as well.  With performances by Michoel Pruzansky, Eitan Katz, Rivi, Eli and Avrumi Schwebel, Shalsheles Junior, 8^th Day, Shloime Gertner, Benny Friedman, Yishai Lapidot and Lipa Schmeltzer, there were some musical moments that were totally amazing.  The nine piece orchestra, led by famed music copyist and arranger par excellence, Avremi G, was extremely well done and while most of the time at concerts the focus is on the guy holding the microphone, it is the talents of the individuals playing the musical instruments who really make the music come alive and last night was no exception as the orchestra really rocked the house.  Despite a few extremely disturbing microphone glitches, the sound and particularly, the sound levels, were perfect for the room.  In an unusual move for a Jewish music concert, the lighting was spectacular, giving the entire evening a more polished and professional feeling.  The choir, made up of Aryeh Kunstler (who became a father for the first time just one day before the concert), Sholom Jacobs, Akiva Lawrence, Miami alumnus Eitan Nat and Yoel Schmell, appeared sporadically during the concert, giving a nice fullness to certain songs throughout the evening.  Finally, all the concert artwork from posters to tickets to the amazing graphics that were up on the big screen were truly gorgeous, thanx to the very talented Sruly Meyer (see the slides here)

The concert clocked in at a whopping three hours and twenty three minutes which was definitely too long and perhaps the bags distributed to concert patrons with literature from the sponsors, pens, foam microphones, umbrellas and glow sticks should have included a cheese danish and a frappucino as well, just to tide everyone over.  Kudos to Avram Zamist of Sheer Productions for not only putting together a great show but for starting the show just four minutes late, a trend I would love to see continuing in Jewish music.

After a video of Lipa Schmeltzer and Eli Schwebel singing at a piano, musically asking the audience to please turn off their cell phones, the night kicked off with an overture based on a Mishpacha Magazine article listing the stories behind some of the most popular songs in Jewish music including Chamol, Yamim al Yemei Melech and Racheim.  A voice offstage introduced the emcee for the evening, Nachum Segal, but the stage stayed dark as Nachum was nowhere to be found.  A cute video clip showed Segal watching Monday Night Football refusing to come to the concert until concert sponsor Americare CEO, Elly Kleinman, shared the concert lineup with him.  Kleinman has quite the flair for comedy and the clip showed the two rushing from Nachum’s house to the venue, finally running down the aisle and appearing onstage together.

Nachum introduced the performers via a set of clues that appeared in the final concert ad and the first performer showed up on stage during the intro amid creepy music and dressed in a black cape, fedora and mask, a la Phantom of the Opera.  As Nachum figured out that the performer described as “someone who has three albums, one of which is released in the last three months” must be Michoel Pruzansky, Pruz whipped off the cape and hat and launched into a rousing medley of some of his most latest songs, including Kol Ma and Zeh LaZeh

Pruz was followed by the ever popular Eitan Katz, who sang Yisborach, Boruch Hu and crowd favorite L’maancha.  The Ohel glow sticks were waving as Katz told the crowd “it’s not about how many CDs you sell, it is about how many people you touch with your music.”  Next up was Eli Schwebel, singing a new song titled Yoga, probably from his upcoming solo album, which was actually quite good.  Schwebel then introduced his younger brother Avrumi and his father Rivi, charmingly announced as “Daddy Schwebel” for their first ever joint performance, singing the D’veykus classic In a Vinkele, known to the younger generation as Shwekey’s Tatte.  The Schwebels, who also appeared later in the show, are all extremely gifted and were one of the many high points of a show that had many moments of music excellence.

Another sponsor bit, this one featuring the grandchildren of the owners of concert sponsor Nutola left Nachum in a bind as he asked one kid after another what their favorite song was and was thwarted each time by responses like “I don’t have a favorite song” and “I’m not a big fan of music.”  Finally Nachum had co-host, his son Yosef, read off the next clue and seventy five percent of Shalsheles Jr. appeared as Dovid Dachs, CJ Glicksman and Avrumi Schwebel took the stage singing a Shalsheles medley.  The trio was joined by their fathers for the classic Naar Hayisi, and while both Dachs and Schwebel senior are in the music business, Yitzy Glicksman more than held his own and was really quite impressive.

A video showing campers at Ohel’s camp Kaylie singing their rendition of Ya’alili was followed by none other than 8^th Day and from here on in, the concert picked up steam and never once came back up for air.

8^th Day rocked the house with a fifteen minute set that included Shabbos Now, Avraham and Ya’alili, complete with a dancer who was beyond belief.  There is no question that the crowd loved them and there is very good reason why Bentzi and Shmuli Marcus are the hottest act in Jewish music today.  Next up was Shloime Gertner who just seems to get better and better with every performance as he gains confidence, his sweet personality only enhancing his very impressive voice.  Gertner sang two medleys in addition to the beautiful Hashomayim before being joined onstage by the next performer Benny Friedman and the two discussed their musical inspirations before launching into an oldies medley.  While Gertner was very enjoyable, at twenty five minutes, his set was too long for a show that had so many performers.

Benny Friedman continues to shine and he climbed yet another rung on the ladder of Jewish stardom last night, as once again he nailed song after song.  With his slight Midwestern twang, he exudes charm onstage, from his opening moments hugging Shloime Gertner, to his thanking Yitzy Spinner for lending him a tie to wear for the show.  Friedman opened with the title track of his album Taamu, then sang the classic Dudu Fischer Elokay before asking the audience to grab their foam microphones and join him in his feel good song Yaavducha.  Friedman described his last number as one that “the Jewish people have been singing for 2000 years” and while the audience was expecting a classic oldie, he launched into a sweet, slow version of One Day, giving the audience an opportunity to sing some of the lines before calling out to drummer Gal Gershovsky in Hebrew, “You ready, Gal?”, taking the song to a whole new level.  Friedman seems to have taken this Matisyahu song and made it his own, imbuing it with the cheyn that, combined with his never-ending wellspring of talent, makes him one of the most sought after performers out there today.

Michoel Pruzansky returned to the stage a second time absolutely nailing the beautiful Shlomo Carlebach classic Mimkomcha, which he dedicated to Elly and Bracha Kleinman of Americare.    Next up, it was the Schwebel family again, singing Abie Rotenberg’s Memories, with a slide show of the Holocaust playing in the background.  What a group of voices, further enhanced by the way they shared the song, playing off each other.  Most touching was Rivi Schwebel embracing his sons at the end of the song, a truly heartwarming moment.

I must confess I had never heard Yishai Lapidot, the next performer sing before and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  But if I had had expectations for Lapidot’s performance, I think he would have exceeded them.  Despite the late hour, he had the crowd going wild, singing along with him, waving their glow sticks and clapping along to a medley of his own songs plus a terrific number called Mi Shemaamin.  His frenetic energy was contagious and the crowd went wild as Lipa Schmeltzer took the stage and joined him for another medley and Lapidot left the stage to wild applause.

Only to return moments later amid more wild applause.  While Lipa was dressed in a small brimmed hat and a striped shirt, someone came from backstage and handed Lapidot a metallic gold bekeshe.  The banter between the two was hysterical and it is the first time I have ever seen a performer share the stage with Lipa and not be overshadowed by Lipa’s manic energy.  The two sang Lipa’s Mizmor L’soda together, with Lapidot more than holding his own against Lipa, not just musically but in stage presence as well and they literally blew the song out of the water.  I doubt that this song will ever be performed as well as it was last night.  It was just that good.

Lipa finished up with a Carlebach medley and a very energetic performance of Hentelach before being joined onstage by the other performers for a finale which consisted of the classic Kol Haolam in several languages and a song I would love to see adopted as a closer at more weddings and concerts, the wistful Naomi Shemer Al Kol Eileh.

This was just an amazing show, admirably put together by the very talented Avram Zamist of Sheer Productions, clear proof that Jewish music has a very bright future ahead, no matter what the voices of doom and gloom may be saying.  Ohel’s The Music We Love delivered on all counts and if they continue to play their cards right, it is the Ohel show that may soon be considered the one can’t miss show of the year.

Stay tuned for a full picture gallery of the show.  To see slides that appeared on stage at the concert click here.

One of the best kept secrets in the Jewish music business was the lineup for tonight’s Ohel concert, titled The Music We Love.

For those of you who weren’t there tonight, you missed an awesome show as the performers came fast and furious, hotter and hotter.

Stay tuned for a full concert recap, but for now here is the list of artists who rocked Mason Hall at Baruch College tonight:

Michoel Pruzansky

Eitan Katz

Eli Schwebel

Rivi Schwebel

Avrumi Schwebel

Shalsheles Jr.

8th Day

Shloime Gertner

Benny Friedman

Yishai Lapidot

Lipa Schmeltzer

I want to start off by saying that I really enjoy collections from all over the spectrum of Jewish music and HASC really gives us that from Haimish to Yeshivish and more.   This year’s concert is even more greatly enhanced with the duets because you can pick up the qualities of a singer much more when he is paired up with another.

So let us begin:

1- Overture

2-Gertner-Fried:   An interesting choice of singers with their respective songs. It starts with Nissim – a Yossi Green classic that propelled Shloimie to stardom and followed by Ki Hirbaysa – a leibidike Slonimer niggun that became a hit about two years ago. Fried sang it on a single back then, but it is not a typical Avrohom Fried shtickel. This duet brings out the smooth elegant voice of Gertner while Fried is still Fried – one of the best.

3-Abie Rotenberg- Baruch Levine:  It starts off with some emotional nostalgia with Abie and Baruch sharing their early experiences together in music in Toronto. ( I am also a proud Torontonian!) It got really cute when they played the famous Hamalach Hagoel sung by Baruch Levine as a child and Abie saying “your voice hasn’t changed a bit, heh?” They start of with Birchas Habayis – a B. Levine composition sung by Abie on Aish and the deeper Abie blends splendidly with Baruch’s high youthful pitch. They flow in to Habein Yakir Lee from Dveykus composed by Abie with Baruch doing the high Yossi Sonnenblick part – so warm and outstanding.  They end off with “A Small Piece of Heaven” that Baruch alluded to in the beginning while telling his memories of Abie from a HASC video.

4-Shloimie Gertner – Lipa:  They first sing Asay Asay from Shloimie’s 2nd album and again Shloimie is such a treat to listen to.  Lipa entertains the oilom with his wit and humor and then inspires us with the background of his song Mizmor Lesoido, finally singing it together with Shloimie.

5-Yehuda Green – Ohad:  Yehuda has his classic Carlebach emotional style complemented with Ohad’s fire. First they sing the first part of Hinei Yomim Boim then transition into Hashiveinu which is a deep classic that tugs at the heart strings.

6-Shalsheles – Shalsheles Junior:  They start off with Boruch Habo then surprise us with the high part of Ivdu with a fast beat instead of the normal slow one. Then Ki Ereh,Yerushalayim, Modeh Ani, then a speech about duets as a form of achdus. Finally Yofyofisa and the kids go so HIGH! Amazing!  They close with Hinay Ma Tov – Sheves Achim Gam Yachad…

7-Daniel Ahaviel – an amazing violin player plays “Hupp Kossack”.

8- YBC makes a surprise entrance with Eli Gerstner and sing Mizmor Shir-Aroimimcho Hashem. You can tell from the applause that the crowd was very excited to hear them. The solos are amazing! The song itself is quite leibedik, but not too jazzy.

9- Daniel Ahaviel again. I am amazed how he can play violin  so well and at times seems like he’s playing two sounds at the same time.

10-Back to the duets with Ohad and Yonatan Sheinfeld who sing Yehi Rotzoin from Ohad’s new album. It’s a gorgeous hartzige song that just perfect for a duet. Yonatan is very impressive and reaches very high notes. He sounds so confident.Ohad is great and reaches notes most only dream of.

11-Then comes Duet “Made in Heaven”:  Yehuda Green and Shlomo Carlebach z”l. They sing Am Yisrael Chai. It’s always emotional when we hear Carlebach, and now especially that he is in the Oilom Hoemes and hear a recording of him. Yehuda Green is a very appropriate duet with him since he is a “Talmid” of Reb Shlomo and sings in a very similar style.

12-Lipa and Zaidy Lipa:  Lipa meets himself 30 years from now and they have an intriguing conversation about life in Yerushalayim with Moshiach preparing for HASC 52. They then sing a song “Moshiach” imagining the spiritual joy of those times and HASC is only a yearly affair celebrated by Klal Yisroel since everyone is healed.

13-Avraham Fried and Benny Friedman:  The famous uncle and up and coming nephew start with Moriah and then transition in to Taamu from Benny. Avraham really shines in this medley considering he is the older one. I’m not taking anything away from Benny who was  great, but Avraham is in a league of his own.  For their last song, Avraham introduces Yossi Green’s Rifoeini and Benny asks his uncle permission to sing it.

14-Abie, Baruch Levine, Shalsheles and Shalsheles Junior medley:     Haneshomo Loch from Baruch sung by Abie then Junior.Baruch takes over by the high part then harmonizes with Shalsheles. They transition in to the classic Eso Ainai from Shalsheles with the kids doing the famous Yosef Wartelsky low part and end off with Ato Echod.

15-We “finally” get to the Finale – a masterpiece of a collection:

Yehuda Green – Nigun Moshe – sounds like a Carlebach.

Ohad/Yonatan – Viairastich – A Yossi Green classic from Ohad’s original album.

Baruch Levine – Ki hu ( with the HASC anthem in the background) – from Baruch’s 2nd album. It’s sung faster than regular. By “Mi Yaaleh” Ohad does some  really high harmony and by “Neki Chapayim” they all get in to it.

Lipa – Hentelech – you can hear Yehuda Green getting in to it, and Avraham Fried repeating “Uvini” ( Or maybe that was Benny…)

Abie – Neshomele with Avraham Fried doing the MBD part amazing! A HASC classic.

Shalsheles and Shalsheles Junior – Mi Hoeesh – the hit first song from Shalsheles’s first album. It just occurred to me that if someone gets afraid of death from the Neshomele song, you get great advice on how to increase life from Mi Hoeesh!

Avraham Fried – Make the world a kinder happier place. A great message that we should never throw in the towel! Then Fried shouts “Avrumi!” Maybe he meant Shloimie because next came Shloimie Gertner singing  Happy Birthday that  they all sing that tune to “Time for Music 24″.

Yisroel Lamm ends off with the HASC anthem.

On a side note I must say that the Gabai who gave out the “Kibudim” did a phenomonal job giving everyone their appropriate parts – a real symphony of Klal Yisroel where everyone really counts!

Also, I realize that the singers did this L’sheim Shomayim and nobody used the stage to promote their new albums such as Ohad and Shalsheles Junior who had just come out or were just releasing their new albums.

So this is it. The “King of Jewish Music” and his last album – Kissufim. I don’t think any of us expected it to be like this – not the singer of Moshiach, Maaminim and Just One Shabbos! – but in the end, it’s up to the artist to go where he wants. And in this case, R’ Mordechai chose to end his career with an austere, laid back, heimishe product rather than a hit-heavy, modern, pop album.

I think the name is well chosen. Some of MBD’s all-time greatest moments are on his slower, most hartzig numbers. The title of the album shows where he has been at emotionally, and what he was always trying to drive spiritually. In interviews, he has said that this album was one that he wanted to put out for a while, but for the life of me, I don’t understand exactly what he was pointing at. This album is very similar to Kumzits, albeit with a more Heimishe feel. It also has a few modern pop tunes tossed in, seemingly for the younger crowd. It also has niggunim, but he’s produced many albums with niggunim. As for the heimishe tunes; well, he’s had dozens of heimeishe tunes on previous albums as well. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what is so utterly unique about this that he saved it for last.

In any case, it’s a nice album, even if the end product is a bit surprising. Here we go, song by song:

Shulem Aleichem: The barebones arrangement here, with a guitar accompanied by accordion alongside men’s and boys’ choirs, reminds me of the ancient London School of Jewish Song album (yeah, the one with Yekum Purkan on it). That itself was a shock. But this very hemishe tune is one with a strongly Galicianer Chassidic feel, and as a result, I’m sure you’ll hear quite it a bit Friday nights in Boro Park and Williamsburg. I’m surprised he opened the album with this song –a completely atypical beginning for a modern album.

Menichu Vesimchu: The arrangements on this number echoes the first, with the percussion providing shades of Veshulmu, from Efshar Letaken. This tune is also one that will probably appeal to Zemiros singers – simple, elegant and hartzig. A bit more arrangement would have been nice – maybe some harder piano would have given it a bit more definition. As for vocals, Mordche goes Shlomo-like with the humming harmonies towards the end of the song, adding to the appeal. However, as the next song stays slow, I think they should have really picked up the pace towards the end.

Al Kein Tzion: The intro to the song is jolting, and doesn’t really speak to me, but the song itself is very beautiful. The child soloist does solid work, as does the Shira Choir with the backup vocals. The arrangements have a bit more oomph than the previous two songs, with the presence of a violin and piano. And MBD does some of his patented emotional harmonies. But the flow of the album just hasn’t quite established itself yet. For that, we’re just going to have to wait for the next song, one of the guaranteed hits on the album.

Shomrei: In absolute contrast to the three earlier tunes, this song has a funky musical and vocal intro. The electric guitar and solid beat energize you, and MBD’s voice sounds as close to his prime as it has in a while. The colorful solo smack in the middle gives it an additional boost; along with some awesome harmonics all the way through. And I love the ending. But let’s face it – it seems that this song was a compromise for the younger set. That being said, it’s probably going to be everyone’s favorite song of the album.

Hazkiri: It seems that with each song, they’ve added something to the basic guitar-led arrangements. Here, we have a mandolin leading the way, on another slow piece. You can easily see MBD shuckeling his way through this nigun, written by the holy R’ Yisrael of Ruzhin, and he sings it with gusto, as befits a nigun of this stature.

Talmidei HaTzemach Tzedek: Here’s where we get into my favorite section of the album, but maybe I’m just biased, given that the next three songs of Chabad niggunim. This gorgeous and rare nigun is usually sung slowly, but MBD and the boys put on a good show with a faster pace. Here’s an example of a song matching the arrangement exceedingly well, especially a nigun – where the intended focus of the tune in the first place was on the vocals. Still,  the ending comes a bit too quickly for me, leaving me pining for a little more.

Anim Zemiros: The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught this gentle nigun to Chassidim himself, on a Simchas Torah evening back in the 60’s. It has a rather lengthy back-story, which is something for a different time. The crux of the story is that as a heavenly reward for an extraordinary act of kindness, a Jew spent an entire Yom Kippur immersed in this tune – meriting a taste of Gan Eden while still in this world. Put in the very able hands of Mordechai ben David and the Shira Choir, alongside a very elegant arrangement, this song is performed to virtual musical perfection.

Chabad Tantz: While Avraham Fried had performed this tune on Hupp Cossack, here it has much more power. It’s sung here as fast as it typically is in shuls, where it is often sung to the words of Lecha Dodi. This also is one of the few songs on the album that has merited a more expanded arrangement – done stylishly and thoughtfully. Great job.

Hashivaini: Here we go right back – in style and in form – to Hazkiri. This nigun was composed by R’ Pinchas Friedman of Belz – presumably an einikel of the Ruzhiner. Anyone know if I’m correct on that? Whatever the case, the similarity of the nigunim and arrangement takes away from the solid performance. Oh well.

Nichsefo: A pop piece that could have used a few rewrites. The tune is overly simplistic, and the words don’t really fit the message. Hey, if you were going through the experience of klos hanefesh, where your soul is trying to break free of your body to cleave to Hashem, would you be singing this? But vocally, MBD does his best, and as always, succeeds to strengthen one of his weaker ones.

Kissifim: Oht azoy! MBD’s true final musical message, (albeit via Lipa’s verbal and poetic skills) with this pretty, poignant and sensible Yiddish song about our desire to serve Hashem despite the struggles. I only wish he had put out an English song to match.

Simchas Torah Medley: Back we go to the classic Jewish pop arrangement style of the Chabad Tantz. Nice choice of tunes for this happy-go-lucky medley. MBD, however makes only rare appearances on this track – and no solos.

Werdyger Medley: Another Ani Maamin for MBD?! I’d have nixed that first choice for this medley. In any case, the child soloist bends the notes a few times too many, in both this and the next song – Yiboneh. This whole medley would have fit nicely on an album in the 80’s, but it’s only a feeble match for this album.

Ashreini: And finally, a solid, classy number for MBD’s finale. This song retains the guitar-centric accompaniment of the entire album, but with much more snazz than the rest of the album. Extra-solid percussion lift it above for a totally enjoyable and highly catchy hit.

Tachlis: All in all, while Kissufim is certainly not MBD’s best album,* it’s still a beautiful album. The Shira Choir does an excellent job, with graceful harmonies that accent MBD’s voice very well. I would have played with the order of songs a bit, to give it a bit better flow. An additional critique is in terms of his stage time versus the Shira Choir. I understand that they got top billing alongside him, but the fact remains that this is an MBD album! I think we would have liked to hear a little more Mordche. If you loved Kumzits, chances are that you’ll love Kissufim as well. The King deserves your patronage: grab your copy of his final album today!

*We’ll discuss MBD’s best album in an upcoming post, G-d willing. I still need to buy a few more of his albums before I write it.

Disclaimer : I’m sorry that the CD has been out for a little while and only now am I writing up this review. Turns out I got swept in the Yom Tov rush like many others and I was only able to finish it now.

From the moment I started listening to the newest Nochi Krohn album, I haven’t been able to stop. Since Nochi’s last album “Ananim”, he definitely stepped it up a notch. This album in particular moved more towards mainstream Jewish music while still keeping everything fresh and original. Although I could go on for a long time about how great I think this album is, I will do everyone a favor and try to keep it short as I run through each track and attempt to sum up this album.

1.Ein Kadosh Kashem – A funky techno beat starts off this album switching to a hora and then back to a disco/techno beat. As far as the composition: many artists sings songs nowadays that are tailor made to them (which is great) but it can be much harder for the typical person to sing these songs themselves. Nochi’s songs have a tendency to be easily singable and not too hard to pick up. This was the first song off the album that I found getting constantly stuck in my head.  The song is very jumpy yet still on the softer side making it a perfect album opener.

2.Esa Einay – Many people feel that this is for sure one of the best if not THE best song on the album. The song starts off with a guitar/mandolin/saxophone serenade. A beat settles in, almost country-ish but soft, then moves on to without a doubt one of the best melodies I’ve heard. This is one of those songs where you can really “feel” the song. The band put a lot of heart and soul into this one (as well as really great mandolin riffs through the song)

3.Yoshaiv – This song overall is very nice. Harmonies play a big part in the chorus in this song but harmonies is one of those things that Nochi and his brothers do quite well. Honestly other than that there isn’t anything specific I have to add about this song in particular

4.Oz Tischazeik – Although I don’t complain about songs I have a very large complaint regarding this song. IT’S WAY TOO SHORT! This must be one of the best nigun-songs that has come out in a long time and this song was stuck in my head for a very long time after I heard it only once. (I think it still might be). Great arrangements as well as melody, love the mandolin and definitely one of my favorite songs off of the album

5.Banai – For the cover song Nochi brought in the very well known Yosef Karduner.  A very well played song. I love the way that the chorus comes crashing in (in a good way).

6.Deah Es Hashem – The song starts off with an awesome rock intro, and flows into the groove of the song. A great mix of both softer and heavier beats. Nochi did an amazing job on the vocals.

7.Berosh Hashono – There are unfortunately many songs in the Jewish Music world where the words don’t quite match the music they are being sung to. This song is a lesson on how a song can be perfect for the words. This song is slow (without being too slow) and really has the flavor of Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur injected into it.

8.Rabos Machshavos –  This song was composed after Nochi went through in his mind what his Rebbi, Rabbi Geisler had taught him about these words. He even shares this understanding of these words with his fans at 3 minutes and 30 seconds into the song. It’s a real talent to throw a D’var Torah into a song still have the song flow so well. The D’var Torah is given through a great musical riff in the background.

9.Tzadik Katamar – Although I don’t think theres anything I specifically liked it still a great solid song. I don’t honestly think theres anything that Nochi has put out that I can say I didnt like.

10.Tzaischem – After releasing a softer version of this song on the album “U’Shmuel Bekorei Shemo”, the band stepped it up a notch by starting with a very synth-y arrangement. I personally love hearing that wild drumroll right before the song starts. This song (like many others on the album) is very catchy and is definitely a favorite at kumzitses (from my own personal experience playing them).  The first time I had ever heard this song was actually on the Sameach Music Podcast when it was still around and the song since then has improved greatly in all aspects.

To sum up :  I definitely recommend buying this album. It’s not easy to find a CD that has so many amazing songs, and Nochi being a musician, a producer, and a singer has a tripleheader in this case.

-HILLELKAPS

Music Review, by Eli Shapiro

The Groggers – There’s no “I” in Cherem

Truth be told I did not anticipate liking the Jewish punk rock band The Groggers or their debut album, there’s no “I” in cherem. Experience has taught me that when Jewish bands try to emulate a specific genre of secular music it often goes awry. With a few exceptions like The Diaspora Yeshiva Band and Aryeh Kunstler, most Jewish Rock falls well short of its target and tends to be the equivalent of trying to market catsup as ketchup. Sure it has some of the basic ingredients, but clearly lacks the texture and full-bodied taste of good old Heinz 57. 
It was with this expectation that while getting ready for a two and a half hour drive from Monticello to The Five Towns, that I tore open the shrink wrap and inserted The Groggers into my car CD player.

The album is filled with shrill guitars, unrelenting bass and pounding drums, packaged in melodic tunes that like it or not will be stuck in your head for days. The musicianship is flawless and the production value is impeccable. The Groggers album rivals any musical production on the market today and they succeed in being more genuine punk and rock than punk and rock itself. The lyrics are witty, funny and even poignant at times. However, don’t let song titles like “Yetzer Horah” and “Don’t play ball on Shabbos” fool you. This is not an Uncle Moishe public service announcement, but rather a subjective yet candid statement of contemporary orthodox life that is guaranteed to offend many.

Musically, the album is so well done that its unfortunate that its genre will prevent it from being fully appreciated by a wider audience. While The Groggers will not appeal to the mainstream Jewish music audience it will likely find a dedicated fan base in more secular Jews between ages of 15 and 29. Fortunately, as the band points out in their song “Upper West Side Story”, many of their target audience “always stay 29”.

The Groggers are a cast of characters led by L.E. Staiman and supported by guitar virtuoso Ari Friedman and successfully turn regular old ketchup into Heinz 57 bold and zesty steak sauce. If your looking for something with a little bit of bite to it, The Groggers debut album is a must hear and can be purchased here http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/theres-no-i-in-cherem/id460112054

Baruch Levine has long been known as a composer and performer, whose material is both sweet and enjoyable. Although he has some really beautiful songs on other people’s albums, his big break came on his first release, Vezakeini, with the songs Vezakeini and V’hu Keyli making everyone’s list of must listen to songs. Every time I pick up a new CD and see that he composed a song on the CD, I am confident that it will be a beautiful and enjoyable song. As a full disclosure, I had the opportunity to sing once with Baruch, at his brother’s wedding, and he is also a first rate mentch. Saying all this, Baruch has a very distinct style, and on his newest release, Hashkifah, it is very evident. For anyone who is not a fan of his, or is in the mood for change, this album will not be for you. For me, who loves Baruch’s music, this album really hits the spot for me. He mixes his hartzige and sweet songs, with lebedik and enjoyable, but not wild, songs. Yochi Briskman is once again Baruch’s producer, and the musical arrangements are by his son Yanky Briskman, and Baruch himself. I think that both the musical and vocal arrangements are done tastefully.

Here is my song by song assessment:

Hashkifah – Ok, so it’s not such a surprise that Baruch picks his title track to be the first song on his album, until the music starts, and it’s a slow song! Usually an album starts off with a real bang, but Baruch Levine’s signature songs are all nice, slow and hartzige so it’s not a complete surprise to me that he begins this album with another sweet and hartzige song. Whether this or any of the songs on this album become hits, only time will tell, but this sounds like another special song.

Tov Lachsos – This is the first lebedik song/Hora on the album. I like how the intro is very upbeat, and when Baruch sings the low part of the song the first time around, the drums, bass, and most of the other instruments are silent, to allow us to capture the sweetness of the song, in its most simple form. The high part is very catchy (and that’s really the first thing that caught my ear when I was listening to the sample promo clips). I also enjoyed the choir’s harmonies, especially by the bridge at 2:46 of the song, and the high part at 3:13.The key modulation (which I happen to love and seemingly is also a favorite of the Briskman Family with Yaakov Shwekey and Baruch Levine) at 2:30 only helps highlight Baruch’s tremendous range.

B’ni – Before I give my opinion of the actual song, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my disappointment that the song starts with a very cheap and synthesized keyboard sound, which in my opinion, is out of place on such a nice hartzige song. Being raised by a professionally trained pianist, there is nothing nicer to me than a talented pianist playing a piece, and the sound used does not do justice. Now, to my assessment of the song, I don’t want to sound repetitive, but Baruch composes really nice, sweet and melodious songs, and B’ni is no different. He is joined by child/bochur singing sensation Dovid Dachs (whose voice sounds like it is finally changing….lucky him, my voice was changing within months of my Bar Mitzvah).

Tlas – This is Baruch’s 3^rd regular album (as evidenced by the 3 after his name on the front cover) and has a song named Tlas (three in Aramaic). Hmm…. Ok now onto the song itself. I am not a big fan of using obscure lyrics, especially not from the Zohar (or based on a Zohar). Despite that, the concept of the song is very meaningful. The song is a Mediterranean styled Hora, and it is a nice song, and I like how Baruch ends the song.

Bit’chu – While it is very hard for me to pick a favorite song on this album, if I had to, Bit’chu would be it. It is another beautiful hartzige song, with beautiful and meaningful English lyrics that just add to the song. This song is also the album debut for child soloist Dovid Ginsberg, son of my old friend Rabbi Doniel Ginsberg (from my CKT days). I have heard him live, and he is truly a talent. Once again, there is a key modulation (at 4:46) and my earlier comments can be inserted here as well. I will try to refrain from mentioning it again, but it is very prevalent on this album.

V’hogisah – I get a rush of adrenaline listening to this song, and it makes me want to get up and dance the hora. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but it is a very upbeat hora, that in my opinion has the best chance of being a hit song at weddings. I am particularly fond of the intro.

Mo Ashiv – Not to beat a dead horse, but once again the synthesizer to begin the song is a bit disappointing, and the amazing guitar piece that follows really exposes it even more than before. Overall, however, I do like the arrangements on this song, and to my knowledge it is Baruch’s first time arranging. There are some really nice guitar solos on the song, a nice saxophone solo, and I also love the harmonies that Baruch sings with himself.

Sheyibaneh – Here is the first and only freilich/rock song of the album. It is an enjoyable song to listen to.

Rina – The intro of this song is very brass heavy, with trumpet blasts throughout the song, and what do you know, the song is about “Joyous song and salvation and triumphant trumpet blasts- when I went forth from Mitzrayim”(as copied off the cover). I personally think it’s cute and that it is a good “chop”. Dovid Ginsburg adds his vocals to this song (he actually is recorded as a boys choir) and does a real nice job. This song alternates between march and ballad styles so it doesn’t flow as well as I think it could, but I think it does alternate to reflect the mood of the song and the words of the song.

Kol Atzmisai – For a while it was very popular to have songs with the approximate style on albums. It is not a slow balad, but it’s not fast like a freilich song, or rocked up like a hora (I have seen songs like this classified as an “Oom-Pah”, but I do not know if that is an actual musical term). Actually one of my favorite songs is in a similar (albeit a little slower) style and composed by Baruch on Aish 2, Orech Yamim. Incidentally, my 3 favorite songs from that album are all Baruch’s compositions: Birchas Habayis, Orech Yomim and Ma Tovu. This is the type of song that could be played during dinner music at a wedding and those who don’t like “moan and groan” songs (there are people out there who do not like listening to anything slow….) would be happy. This is a nice song, and is enjoyable to listen.

Refuah – This is a song that was originally performed and recorded for Yaakov Shwekey’s concert Live In Caesaria II. It is a beautiful Baruch Levine song, and I think he really does it justice singing it by himself. This is another song that has a chance to become a classic.

In conclusion, I think this is a wonderful album and very worth your while to purchase. You can purchase this album as a download or a CD available at Mostlymusic.com (http://www.mostlymusic.com/hashkifo.html) or wherever Jewish Music is sold!

JMR would like to welcome another new writer, Inspiring Voice, to the JMR family! 

I see one thing consistent with all of Nachman’s albums. Every time I listen to it I like it more and more each time till I really connect to it. The choir is amazing – the voices, the tons of harmonies, and the range of reaching high notes. This album – Al hatorah has 11 songs and all were composed by Nachman Seltzer himself. The music was arranged by David Epstein.

1-     Al Hatorah –A very nice song with great harmonies and high parts.

2-     Ilu Finu – It starts off like just getting in to it, then by the high part the heart really heats up in shvach vihoidoah to Hashem and culminates with the soft “Ilu fe-enu” like someone savoring the opportunity to connect to Hashem. The last part of the song is really shticky with great harmony.

3-      V’yikablu – A real Hartzige song that tugs at the emotions especially with the first solo in the high part.

4-     Toras Hashem – An original hit. Just when we thought after the second part that that’s the whole song, then comes the really high 3^rd part that brings it to a higher level in quality and then ends off really high.

5-      Torah Tziva – This song puts me in a good mood. I used to have a chavrusa that every morning before we started we had a ritual to sing Torah Tziva in a fun way that sounds similar to this.

6-     Keser Torah – Nice slow song.  Then comes the best part “ kol me sheyirtzeh yovoi viyitoiiilllllll!!!!!!!” Everyone who wants it can come get the Torah!

7-     Dan Dan Dan – A cute shticky song with great harmonies.

8-     Ashreinu – There’s a song from Shmuel Brazil with the same words that is a little similar in the musical intro and low part. I think Sruly Williger also sings it. There’s a song on Tzlil Vezemer #2 – Boruch Hu that has similar style music in the intro but with a saxophone. This is much nicer because of the fiddle. Then it catches me off guard with the choir going much faster the last time around with amazing harmonies.

9-     Shma Hashem –. The words really fit the tune great – a shtarke tefilla. Beautiful “ooh, woo “ part from the choir before the second time around.

10-   Oz Yoshir – Shticky intro with the sound of waves like the Yam Suf by the intro. It has a touch of Jep at the end of the high part. Then you do the opposite from Ashreinu with a slower version. Very hartzig.

11-   The major hisorirus from the album. A great concept of bringing in a chizuk from a speaker. I love the high/low part by the daf yomi on the train. The end is great and high.

The first thing you’ll notice about this album is that the mixing and arrangements aren’t top notch. It seems like it was a low budget cd, which in understandable in these tough economic times. However, I’m here to tell you not to overlook this album, because you could be missing out on the album of the year. Sure, it didn’t have a crazy amount of advertising or a flashy cover, but what it does have is raw talent when it comes to vocals. Yoni Stern is by far my favorite child soloist period.

The album was made in Toronto and features some great Toronto based singers, such as Abie Rotenberg, Shlomo Simcha, ABD, and Yonatan Shlagbaum. Promise me you won’t overlook this album, it is seriously a solid album.

FYI, for all you doubters out there, listen to how good Yoni’s voice, despite not having music behind him. LINKY

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Yosis Olayich – I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a catchy, upbeat Yosis Olayich before this song. It’s a very happy song. There’s really no other way to describe it. The mix of the upbeat notes and Stern’s gorgeous, angelic-like voice is incredible. This is also the first time I’ve heard a Yosis Olayich with a hora beat. This song happens to be a great opener and is really the signature for what lays in store for you throughout this album. Yummy, chocolatey goodness (minus the chocolate of course).

Ashira Lashem – There are so many good slow songs on this album, but this one is definitely in my top two, it’s really too close to tell. From the beautiful refrain which makes you close your eyes and sway your head back and forth softly, to the high part that makes you sing along, this song has footing. It’s easily one of the best slow songs I’ve heard this year and it definitely helps that the vocalists are Stern and the sweet, cantorial-like voice of Shlomo Simcha. A+ job.

Hodur Noeh - Insert ABD. The group that featured Yoni Stern on their album. By no means was the ABD album a knockout album like this one, but it was a solid album and the free download they had of Oleinu, which featured Yoni Stern has been on the top of my acapella playlist since it came out. This track is another beautiful song. It’s a bit long (7 and a half minutes), but you don’t notice it as much as you do other songs that are the same length. It’s just a solid, all-around, great song.

Kulom – Yeehaw! I dare you to think anything else when you first listen to this song. The entire track sounds as if it were something off a country music album, without all the losing your house, spouse and car stuff… The lyrics are a bit weak, but the composition itself is nice, which makes up for them.

Ezras – Just when you thought it couldn’t get better then the duo of Yoni Stern and Shlomo Simcha, in comes Abie Rotenberg, the other part of Aish (Abie and Shlomo Simcha). Abie’s soothing voice brings out this gorgeous melody and makes it one of my top 3 favorite slow songs on this album. Of all the songs, I think Stern sounds best on this one. The song packs a lot of depth to it, which he brings out with his powerful, yet sweet voice.

Mimamakim – When I first heard this song, I was a bit turned off. There is just a lack of solid music in this track. The whole first part of the song sounds like an acapella song, but it doesn’t have enough vocals to fill it. Once I heard the choir the second time around, it clicked. It has a great campfire or camp alma-matter feel to it. Overall, not one of my favorites on the album.

Pesach Libi – This is the third slow song in a row. It’s apparent that Yoni’s strong point is when he sings a slow song, allowing you to hear the sheer power and beauty of his voice. Still, it’s a bit of an overdosage of slow songs. I hope you’re relaxing when listening to this album, because exercising is not an option.

Yonatan Shlagbaum is the guest vocalist on this song. He was the Oorah contest winner of 2009. He sounds great and I hope to hear more from him in the future. I spoke to him about a year ago at a wedding and he said that he had something in the works. Let’s hope to hear more from him soon.

Although this is not one of my favorite songs on the album, it features my favorite part of any song on the album. Listen to 6:55 on this track to hear what I’m talking about. Last thought. Does anyone else think the low part of this song sounds a bit like Psach Libi from the Miami Boys Choir?

Tzur Mishelo – I absolutely love this song. I sing it every week at my shabbos table since it came out. So glad it’s a Friday night zemer, because I needed a good one; there aren’t enough of them. The harmonies, the music, the song itself, they all sound great. Tzur Mishelo is one of my favorite songs of the year and my favorite song on this album. Do not overlook this one.

B’sheim Hashem – While I said I hadn’t claimed a favorite slow song on the album, I really think this one is the best and the simplest of them all. Actually, it’s the simplicity that attracts me to it. The lyrics are beautiful and the tune and music fit them like a glove. If you can get by all the extra music on this track (which there is), and listen to the beautiful words, I guarantee you’ll be blown away.

Oleinu – I don’t think any review is necessary for this track. We’ve all heard it before. We’ve all downloaded it prior to buying this album. I wish they would put another new track on this album and not a repeat. Usually, the minimum requirement for tracks on an album are 10, and if you want to throw a previously released track on the album, then you would give it as the 11th track. It’s a gorgeous song, but I’m a bit disappointed.

Here’s a link, go buy it now – LINKY

Some more links to videos of Yoni Stern singing.

Yoni Stern and Baruch Levine LINKY

Yoni Stern singing at a wedding LINKY

Yoni Stern singing Miami’s Yaaleh Veyavoh LINKY (listen to his power in this one).

JewishMusicReport.com would like to welcome  HillelKAPS, the newest member of the JMR team.  We look forward to HillelKAPS sharing his many insights on Jewish music with our readers.

This past week, September 15,I had the privilege of attending the ‘Moshe Hecht Album Release Party’ in the amazing Soho Synagogue, probably the only Synagogue where the paintings on the walls really come down and fold into chairs (you have to be there to see it) and the setting is very peaceful and relaxing. The event started at about 7:45 with an interesting array of people all coming to hear Moshe Hecht and maybe even to get a chance to schmooze with him before the show. I did get the chance to speak with him for a bit before the show began and I asked him what his goal is with his music. He thought over my question for a few moments and then responded,

Almost three months ago, a very highly anticipated album was released. Yumi Lowy, a very popular vocalist on the wedding scene on the east coast, released his debut album, titled Ahavas Hashem. Yumi is known for his sweet and smooth sound, somewhat a cross between Yeedle and Dov Levine at times, and his album has been a favorite of mine to listen to. Somehow I neglected to actually sit down and review this album, and it seems to have fallen through the cracks without anyone else reviewing it either. Having listened to it numerous times, I think I am even better equipped to review Ahavas Hashem. Ahavas Hashem is produced by the talented Naftali Schnitzler, and arranged by eight different arrangers, which as I’ve stated before, adds to the different styles found on this album.

Here is my song by song assessment:

Kadosh – A lebedik song to start off the album, composed by famous composer and badchan, Pinky Weber, this song is a pleasant song, and a nice song to begin the album. The arrangements and choir are by Mona Rosenblum, and without even seeing the cover, has his style with the brass lines, and base lines embedded in the song.

Ahavas Hashem – The title track is a Yossi Green composition, and in the Tanya and Aderaba style that Yossi has made so famously. Yossi is also a guest soloist in this song. The musical arrangements are by Yisroel Lamm, and the choir is led by Yoely Horowitz, of the Shira Choir. While the song is a little on the long side, it is a very Hartzige and melodious song.

Moshe Kibel – This is a disco styled horah that combines some techno style music with regular music. This song, together with the accompanying Yiddish lyrics, is composed by Motty Ilowitz. Since I am not fluent in Yiddish, I cannot comment on the content, but this seems like a catchy song. It is arranged and produced by Eli Lishinsky, who also provides the background vocals as well. The song ends a bit too abruptly for me, but otherwise it is a very enjoyable listen.

Yaaleh Vyavoh – This is a hauntingly beautiful and sweet ballad composed by Yossi Green. I love how Leib Yacov Rigler’s arrangements barely have any instrumentation the first time through the song, and even as the song progresses, it still is a very soft an easy to listen to song. Yossi Green once again contributes his own brand of vocals to the song, and Moshe Kraus conducts the choir. There are parts of the song that Yumi’s voice resembles Dov Levine’s sweet voice (and for the record, I grew up loving Dov Levine’s voice and have always been disappointed that he never put out more albums).

Aromimcha – This is a nice enjoyable song composed by Moshe Wertzberger and arranged by Moshe Laufer. The one thing that bothers me about the song is the choir alternates between pronouncing avaricheka (correctly pronounced) and avarichecha.

Ten Lo – This is a Middle Eastern style horah, where Yumi sings with an Israeli accent. The song is composed and arranged by Ruli Ezrachi, I personally like when the composer is the one who also arranges the music because then the full flavor of the song, and the intent of the composer really stands out. I really like the spots in the song where Yumi harmonizes with himself.

Ma Nomar – This is a beautiful and hartzige song composed and arranged by Eli Laufer, who also conducts the choir as well. It has already been documented how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but this song is but another example of Eli’s talent. I think Yumi does a great job on the high notes and his background harmony on this song, and it actually highlights his range and sweet voice.

Pen Pen – This is another song composed by Yossi Green. This is more of a swing style song, and not one of my favorites. Besides Yossi’s vocals, this song has his style all over it, and fans of Yossi Green are sure to be all over this song. The arrangements and choir are by Mona Rosenblum on this song as well.

Eishes Chayil – This is another beautiful and hartzige song composed by Pinky Weber. It is arranged by Moshe Laufer and the choir is conducted by Moshe Roth.

Umipnei – Usually an album will try to end off with a bang and a lebidik song, but in this case, I think the perfect song to end off with is Umipnei. This is another hartzige slow song, which is really easy to listen to and once again, shows off Yumi’s sweet and smooth voice. The song is composed by Benny Hershkowitz, and arranged by Dudi Kalish & Ruli Ezrachi, with Dudi also conducting the choir.

In conclusion, this is a very enjoyable album to listen to. I found it to be mostly relaxing, and it has been on repeat for me for all this time. If you haven’t already gotten “wired”, my recommendation is to purchase this album as a download or a CD available at Mostlymusic.com (http://www.mostlymusic.com/ahavas-hashem.html) or wherever Jewish Music is sold!

Jewish Music Report would like to welcome our newest writer, Lana LA, who we are sure will be a valued addition to the JMR team!

If you thought you heard all that Israeli music has to offer, guess again and pull out your ipods and you might as well set them to “repeat album” because you will want to listen to this CD countless times over. Not only is Ben Snof’s music original in its making from lyrics to melodies, his voice is as unique as they come.  Not embellished with any fancy studio equipment, you can hear the raw power in the unbelievable notes he hits over and over in his album “Hamasah – the Journey” released in 2010, but the full power of his voice isn’t even captured on the CD, check out some of his live performances and you’ll be amazed at the clarity and pitch he maintains even on that microphone.

This album has songs that range from traditional lyrics to his own created odes and ballads that leave the listener amazed.  Songs  like “Im Eshkacheich Yerushalayim” or “Shir Lama’a lot” performed (and tweaked)  by almost every Jewish performer in the music world today, come alive in another light when Ben takes the stage and takes the song and listener  to a deeper level.

While a song such as “Avinu Malkeinu” has “pop hit” written all over it, other songs such as “Sha’arei Chuppah”,  “K’Shoshana” and “Shavu Bonim” (a song which features the voice of captured soldier Gilad Shalit speaking to his parents) will have you so wrapped in the emotion infused in the track you might just forget where you are. If you’re looking for words and music that really come from the soul this album will not disappoint you.

In all, the songs of this album project a soft, sensitive, yet powerful and intense feeling that really hits a chord within you.  Even if you don’t understand all the words in this all Hebrew album, you won’t be able to miss the magic of this CD. With clear talent and apparent simplicity Ben Snof weaves melodies and meaningful lyrics into great sounding music that could bring young and old to their knees- or jump out of their chair and start dancing (depends what mood you’re in).

It is worthwhile to flashback sometimes. When you haven’t listened to something for many years, you may be missing something that you hadn’t noticed. So it’s flashback time: I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say that HASC’s A Time for Music series of concerts changed Jewish music forever. Over the years, they produced novel musical introductions and defining moments, and helped establish the Jewish music world. And now HASC has done us all the favor, rereleasing the first seven concerts in one MP3 set – 115 songs (!) of some of the best music we have witnessed on stage.

More importantly, it’s been remastered. And the sound is very clear. This is important when you consider the beauty of a 60+ piece orchestra, alongside artists such as MBD in his prime, Avraham Fried on his ride to superstardom, and others. And consider the many gorgeous instrumentals by the Neginah Orchestra with the likes of Yaron Gershovsky and Yossi Piamenta. Much of that is thanks to Yisrael Lamm, whose orchestrations are what make the concerts what they were. In fact, I’d venture to say that his best work is featured in these concerts. But the artist whose presence made those HASC concerts so special is Mordechai Ben David. During those years – especially the first three – his vocal ability was at the top of its power, and that regal voice and deep emotion still remains an impossibly high benchmark for all newcomers to the Jewish music world. In addition to all that, Abie Rotenberg’s stirring songs written specially for HASC (Who Am I, Small Piece of Heaven, Candles, Hamalach) are all particularly noteworthy.

The only negative side to the collection is that they repeated songs from one concert to the next – Yidden is sung three times, Someday three, etc. But that’s only a disadvantage if you listen to the entire thing straight – as I just did.

Of all the concerts, the best would have to be no. 5 – MBD with the Regesh Chorus Ensemble, along with the Showcase of the Masters, including spots by the Piamentas, Gershovsky, and trumpeter Yaakov Uriel. While I do not like listening to Yeedle’s Reminiscing Medley or MBD’s History Medley – they’re simply too shticky to enjoy two decades later – the rest of the concert is full of class and style; and for the most part, absolutely heavenly music.

Here are my favorites, album by album:

HASC 1: Tatenyu, Let My People Go, and general MBD/Fried duets

Tatenyu is a truly beautiful song, and I always loved this hartzig version better than the original. (I’m not alone in loving this tune – no less a personage than the Lubavitcher Rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson OBM, deeply loved this song. A close friend of hers once walked into her home while she was lighting Shabbos candles and found her deep in concentration, singing this song softly to herself.) Let My People Go is an all-time classic, and MBD really rips it out. And finally, MBD and Fried singing together has always brought out unique emotional energy from both of them.

HASC 2: 101 Talented Voices, MBD’s English Medley, Ribono Shel Olam and Who Am I

In this concert, they picked up the quality of the arrangements with some real symphonic sound and a massive backup choir, called 101 Talented Voices. This concert’s real highlight is without question MBD’s stunning rendition of Mona’s classic Ribono Shel Olam. MBD’s English Medley is also really beautiful – what with great arrangements and MBD’s voice in tip-top shape. Abie Rotenberg brings the crowd to their feet with his emotional debut of Who Am I. And that’s a song that brings chills every time I hear it.

HASC 3: The Jerusalem Bandstand’s Hora Medley and the Rhapsody in the Shul

While Fried stars in HASC 3, I’m not crazy over most of his medleys. In this case, my ears were tickled by Yisrael Lamm’s big band work on the Hora Medley and Rhapsody in the Shul.

HASC 4: Journeys, MBD’s hartzig rendition of Refaeinu, and Ko Amar

I always loved what the London School of Jewish Song did here, but let’s face it – their medleys all went on for too long. In fact, all the medleys on this concert went on for too long, despite the fact that there are many beautiful moments. Ko Amar, though, is an old classic, and was a real crowd pleaser. In addition, MBD stirs the strings of the soul as he belts out Yerachmiel Begun’s Refaeinu– far and away better than the original. And the too-short appearance by most of the cast of Journeys is truly wonderful – their perfect harmony blends splendidly with the sounds of the full orchestra. What makes this a true highlight is when you compare the arrangements with their original albums. Those early Journeys (and D’veykus) albums are austere, to say the least. So here, they finally get the stunning arrangements that they deserve.

HASC 5: The brilliant instrumental section Showcase of the Masters, MBD’s belting Simcha Leartzecha and with Regesh on Slach Na and Ma Ashiv

The first half of this concert was unbelievable – the phenomenal Showcase of the Masters featuring Yossi and Avi Piamenta (seperately), each with a unique twist on a classical music piece; Yaron Gershovsky creating a gorgeous piano concerto off of Abie Rotenberg’s classic Hamalach; and Yaakov Uriel, a trumpeter whom I know nothing about, blasting out the fun and funky Moosh Suite. But let’s not forget some more MBD all-timer moments – particularly on Shlomo Carlebach’s Simcha Le’artzecha, and with the Regesh Chorus Ensemble on their classic Selach Na, as well as Ma Ashiv. This concert had some serious music going on. Lots of four and five star marks in my iTunes ratings!

HASC 6: MBD and Chaim Banet on Ko Amar and Piamenta’s gorgeous Vaani Tefilati

It seems like #6 was a bit of a let down, but it has its moments as well – specifically, the gorgeous Vaani Tefilati sung soulfully (!) and played stirringly by the brilliant Yossi Piamenta. Who knew Piamenta could let go with such plain emotion on such a simple song, and one that is not a pure guitar song? Credit is certainly due to the stunning accompaniment by the Neginah Orchestra. And MBD’s performance of Ko Amar, with composer Chaim Banet sitting at the piano, is his typical soulful self.

HASC 7: The crooning Mimkomcha, and Statman on the Spanish Rhapsody and in the Wedding Medley

An attempt to go Broadway seemed to flop, but we got some decent music out of it. Specifically, another MBD/Neginah Orchestra number baked to perfection – the oldie Mimkomcha. We also have the appearance of a true master, Andy Statman, on the woefully short Spanish Rhapsody, and his wailing clarinet solo during Miami’s Chelm Wedding Medley.

This collection is simple a must-have for any Jewish music collector. And at $25 for the entire collection (i.e. .22 cents a song!), or even better – $20 for the download, you cannot go wrong on this one. And sign me up for the next such collection, of vols. 8-24!

With the release of the hugely popular Sheves Achim 2, JMR proudly presents a three way review of the album, co-written by Just A Fan, JM Derech and JM Maven.

JM Maven: The long awaited sequel to the first Sheves Achim album is out and while it took time for me to really appreciate the album, I’ve really been enjoying it.  I find that there are some albums that I love right away and others that take listening to a few more times until I really like them.   I often end up enjoying the albums that I didn’t love at first listen more than those that I liked right away.

When the first Sheves Achim album came out, once I had listened to the album a few times, I was blown away by the talent of the Bell brothers. Aside from the singing and harmonies, they wrote quite a few of the songs themselves and although I liked some songs more than others, there were quite a few songs there that were just amazing, especially considering how old the boys were when they composed them.

But as anyone knows, any album/group featuring boys only lasts as long as the boy’s voices. When the first Sheves Achim came out, both Bell brothers were already getting older, and their voices were already maturing. That worked fine for the first album, and Moshe Bell was even featured on Sheves Chaveirim, another amazing album put out by Ari Goldwag. But as rumors spread of another Sheves Achim album, I  wondered, as I’m sure many others did, “Aren’t their voices changing? How good can a second album be once their voices change?”

Once I heard the demo, I was somewhat relieved.  Sure, it wasn’t the same boys group that it was before, but it definitely didn’t sound bad. After hearing the album a few times, I saw that even though it was different, it was a very solid album. The Bells hadn’t lost their touch, and still sounded great. They definitely sound more mature, but they still are able to use their voices well and hit some pretty nice keys.

JM Derech: The Bell brothers are back and they lost their sweet child vocals, but have developed soothing, mature adult voices. The music is still great and their compositions are still the best around.

The first Sheves Achim was a solid hit from start to finish and I expected no less this time around; luckily, my expectations were happily met.  I’m going to compare songs from this album to the last album, there are a lot of similarities that I noticed, which I’m sure you noticed as well.

Just A Fan: I was late getting the first Sheves Achim album, so it wasn’t too long after that I heard there was a second album in the works. I’m a big fan of the first album and I think it was all I listened to for a few weeks last year (considering I had an hour commute, that’s a lot of listening). But I had to wonder– what in the world are they going to sound like on the next album? Are they going to still be good when they can’t hit the amazingly high notes that the Bell brothers gained fame from?

Then the sampler was released. This is a little weird, I’ll admit, but I listened to the sampler a lot. That’s when you know an album is going to be great, when you sit there listening to 30 second clips of each song…  Getting the whole album has obviously been a much better experience since …you know… I can listen to the entire songs.

The album is very different than the first Sheves Achim. Yes, there are parallels you can draw. But the Bell brothers have grown up and Baruch Hashem their voices are still amazing (in a different way) while the music has become a lot more mature and well, better. Let me assure you, though I am a big fan of kids CDs (as you can tell from my recent reviews), this doesn’t sound like a kids CD. The first album was composed by Ari Goldwag with some songs by Shimon or Moshe Bell. This one keeps that tradition while adding in other composers to mix things up a little bit. Somehow, with all the differences, there is still a consistency among the two albums.

Overall, the album is really amazing and top quality. I really commend Ari Goldwag for this. I remember on the first album he said something about this isn’t his style of music, but it’s the boys’ style. It’s probably very hard to write songs and do all the instrumentation when it’s not your style, but he did a tremendous job as usual.

Most importantly, Shimon and Moshe Bell are pretty unbelievable. They are still teenagers and they have put out two high quality albums. There are a lot of great child soloists who are only in the music business as children for various reasons, and I’m thrilled that Sheves Achim hasn’t followed that pattern and that we will hopefully be hearing music by them for a long time to come.

Sheves Achim – Composed by Elimelech Blumstein

I’ve heard Elimelech say before that Ari Goldwag was the first one to use one of his songs – I’ll leave this one as a quiz for the readers, if you know which song it is, leave it in the comments below – extra point if you know what the original words for the song were, before they were changed. Additionally, I know that Ari does a lot of the demos for Elimelech’s songs, so he probably had “first dibs” on this song, and it sure is a good one. Call it the Sheves Achim theme song, it starts off with a bang. This song is, in every part, an Elimelech Blumstein song, and I love the way that the song and the words flow. I’ve always liked Elimelech’s songs because he is very innovative in how the songs flow, and almost every one of his songs is somewhat off the beaten track, but in a creative and good way. There are a few things in the song arrangement here that really add to the song, like the way the song moves up a key in the middle. There’s a lot of word repetition, but I like it, especially how all the Gam’s fit into the song. Overall, great song, and great performance – not going to start with rating each one, but it’s a definite hit in my book.

They sure did want to come out of the gate with energy. This opening song has all the power and excitement of an opening song, much like Ve’hu K’Choson did on the first album. However, the song I want to compare this to is Modim. It has a similar tempo and uplifting feel to it.

Given that this is the title of the group, it makes more sense that the first album would’ve had a Sheves Achim song. That being said, this song was worth the wait. It starts almost a capella and with a very fast tempo, introducing the album with a bang. The musical interlude that follows is a little too long, especially for a fast song/first song. The tempo is slower throughout the verse, but still upbeat. The song is really catchy and wonderful and is one of my favorites.

Mayim Karim – Composed by Moshe Bell

When I first heard part of this song on the sampler that came out a few weeks before the album came out, the first thing I was trying to figure out where the words were from. Once I got the album and booklet, I saw that they came from Mishlei. I always liked exotic words, but this may be a bit too exotic for me… I’m also not sure how Moshe Bell managed to come across the words. Either way, it’s a great second track, and I love the way the intro starts off. It reminds me a bit of another Goldwag intro, but I can’t recall which one, so that’s fine ;) Although it’s a great song, I‘m not sure this song will make it by Simchas, because the words are a bit too hard, but it definitely was performed well on CD, it’s a pumping song, and live performances/Simchas aren’t everything, so it definitely gets a thumbs up in my book, and Moshe Bell did a great job with the composition.

Here’s your V’Hu K’Chosson. This techno song is amazing, and has the Sheves Achim signature sound to it. You can feel the energy with every horn sound in the chorus. This is a great song for exercising or doing household chores.

Here’s the first song on the album composed by a Bell, and it’s Moshe, the younger brother. On the first album, he composed Modim and co-composed Vehu…two fast and super high energy songs, so this one is exactly what you’d expect based on those– but of course it’s a more mature and better version of those. Great song, although I could’ve done with a little less of the techno sound here. I’d buy an entire album of them singing without music, so we don’t need too many effects.

Tov Lehodos – Composed by Judah David

I have no idea who Judah David is, but this is definitely a very nice song. I like the way it start off with very little in the background, and gradually builds to a fuller arrangement with background vocals. The key switch is very smooth and almost unnoticeable, and I really like how the high part flows. One thing I might have done towards the end to add to the song is some a capella of the high part, with just singing and harmonies, and then bring the music back in to finish the song off, but I wasn’t asked, I didn’t arrange the song, and it definitely works the way it is :) Overall, a solid slow song with solid arrangements that I really enjoyed.

Ruchnius. That defines this song. This song is spiritually uplifting and makes me feel like and want to be a better person (huh, someone called me a bad person? :-D). This is possibly the best slow song from this pair of brothers and will be a guest at my Shabbos table for weeks to come. The closest song to this one is Avraham Yagel.

Here’s the first slow song on the album. It’s the Tov Lehodos words that we all love with a new and beautiful tune. This is one of the songs that best shows off their voices. It’s relaxing and just all around a very pretty song.

Hu Ha’Elokim – Composed by Ari Goldwag

Starting off with a simple guitar intro, this song has somewhat of a different feel to it. I like the low part, but didn’t love the high part as much. I also thought that the combination of the words used for the low part, from Yeshaya, with words from Devarim for the high part (and in the end of Neilah on Yom Kippur, in case that’s the connection) don’t really mix, and the words on the high part are a bit too repetitious. Definitely not a bad song, I just didn’t love this one as much as some of the other ones.

Acoustic guitar? Nice change. I love it! This song has the same “happiness effect” as Yaavducha from Benny Friedman (don’t ask, it just does). I guess the best comparison for this song is Ashreinu from the first album. It has the same summer camp feel.

Here’s the first song composed by Ari Goldwag. This is definitely one of my favorites and you’ll see why. It’s got a fast tempo but a laid back feel. On the first album, it’s closet to Ashreinu. This is one of those songs that makes you smile and is very pleasant to listen to. I love 3:00-3:35 when the words change up a bit.

The Artist – Composition and words by Dovid Klaver

This song seemed to have been one of the featured songs on the album, as all the releases and information on the album highlighted this song. I enjoyed the melody very much, and the music is very fitting for an English song, but I personally feel that English songs on Jewish albums can’t be too complicated, in terms of the story/message. I always had an easy time following the Journeys songs – they were clear, easy, and straight to the point. This comes across more as a poem, with a hidden meaning, but since the main purpose of a song is also the music, you have to be able to understand the words while listening as a song. I didn’t really understand it until I sat down and read through the words in the booklet, which isn’t a bad thing – I just don’t normally don’t have to do that. Either way, it is definitely a nice song, and once I read through the words, I did appreciate and enjoy the song, and this is one of the songs that I think we’ll really see feedback from in a few months, depending on where it goes.

Best English song EVER. Okay, maybe I’m a bit biased because I work as a graphic designer and this song’s topic strikes a chord. Remember the emotional power the verse “He’s learning in a kollel, now he’s their superman” from the first album was? Ya, listen to this song and the power of the last chorus with the verse “You see in the end, you do play a part in bringing the painting to life”. Awesome song!

This song starts with a metaphor of an artist with a masterpiece where every color is important and intentional, etc., and to be honest I originally thought “Nice thoughts but it’s pretty cheesy.” Then there is a change, and the comparison changes to how some people feel worthless, unloved, etc., but in truth there is no such person when we can see the whole “painting”. Ok, it still sounds cheesy, but if you listen you will see that it’s very beautiful. It’s got a great lesson and the composition of the song is really nice as well, so this is a very enjoyable song.

Sameach – Composed by Ari Goldwag

I liked the way the song started off, but the whole accent thing – Israeli, then Chassidish, just didn’t work for me. I think the song would go a lot further if they would have just sung it normally (OK, that’s a relative term, but I mean without any accent) – I like the song as a song, just the way it was done was, in my opinion, not the best way to do it.

I’m not quite sure about the change in pronunciation from sefardi to chassidishe, but otherwise it’s a good song. With the words chosen, I assume this song was intended to be sung by weddings, but the beat may be a bit hard to dance to. This song is a good fast song, but I won’t go beyond “good”. I think it’s safe to compare this song to Lo Lanu from the first album.
After three laid back songs we have another very (in the chorus it’s very very) high tempo song. Throughout the accents change up and you will hear a Chasidish accent as well as an Israeli accent all mixed together, and it reminds me (since it’s a wedding song) of the way some weddings bring all different types of people together; it’s a really nice thing. This song is super fun and exciting.

Shema Koleinu – Composed by Shimon Bell and M. A.

I don’t know who M. A. is, (unless it’s the Bell brother’s mother), but I don’t know why they wouldn’t write the whole name of whoever was involved, especially on such a nice song. Anyways, this is another beautiful slow song, which also features Ari Goldwag’s son, Moshe Dov, who was part of Sheves Chaveirim. The intro reminds me of Mi Haish from the first Sheves Achim album, but that’s not a bad thing… ;) Moshe Dov Goldwag sings a good part of the song, and while I thought that he may have been a bit too young on Sheves Chaveirim, he sounds older and in more control of his voice now, and he really adds a lot to the song, including harmonies and background vocals. There are some amazing harmonies on this song, and combined with some excellent arrangements, this is an overall amazing song.

Insert Goldwag’s son here. Moshe Dov Goldwag has definitely improved and is quite talented for his age, but his voice is still a bit “babyish” for me. This a slow song, but a good one, however, it is a bit typical. I think this song is the equivalent of Mi Ha’ish.

Another slow song, this time starting out with Moshe Dov Goldwag of Sheves Chaverim. I love Moshe Dov’s voice; it’s very sweet and pure sounding. This song was composed partially by Shimon Bell, who composed the brilliant  and beautiful Avraham Yagel on the first album. This song follows in that path, and it sounds like a lot of heart went into both the composition and the vocals.

Beshuvi – Composed by Ari Goldwag

For some reason, when I think of these words, I always envision a slow, hartzig song, but this composition by Ari Goldwag just goes to show how a well done upbeat song can bring out the meaning in words just as well. The intro is in line with the rest of the Sheves Achim intros, including some harmonies , which I really like. I like the somewhat toned down arrangements with mostly guitar in the background, but there are some sections and chords that were really done well, especially on the low part on the second time around. I also liked the bridge, how it went together with the background, and how they did the key change. The vocal are done very well, combining for an all around great song.

Ogil Viesmach Bilvavi… Oh? It’s not that song, could’ve fooled me ;). Much like Ogil, Beshuvi is a fantastic song with a great tempo. There’s not much to the song, but there beauty of it is that it still sounds great!

Of all the songs on the album, this one isn’t the most fun, the prettiest, or the one that best shows off the voices of the Bell brothers. Still, it’s definitely my favorite. I keep playing it on my iPod and I’m upset when it ends. It’s another one of those laid back but higher tempo songs, without the techno feel. I love the words, I love the tune, I love the feel, I love the vocals– I just love everything about this song.

Horeini – Composed by Moshe Bell

Time again for a slow song, and Moshe Bell’s composition doesn’t disappoint! I love the intro, and how it’s used later on in the song as a bridge with vocals. In some ways, I like the low part of the song better than the high part, but it’s still a pretty solid high part, and definitely has a lot of potential. The only thing I would have done differently with the arrangements and background is that it’s pretty much the same throughout the whole song – I would have had it increase somewhat in intensity and add something more as the song goes on, but the arrangement definitely does the job. Overall, great song, with some very nice vocals and harmonies.

This song threw me off. I was not expecting it, yet I was pleasantly surprised. There a yeshivahs taam (feel) to this song and it’s also very heartwarming. The light guitar strumming throughout the song goes to show that this song would be a great kumzits song. It’s best to compare this song to an Eitan Katz song.

Back to another slow song with this track, composed by Moshe Bell. This is the first we’ve heard of his slower compositions, and it’s great. I like that it starts out right away with harmonizing. The lyrics are very nice, and all around it was very well done. Love the na-na-na…s going with the music which might’ve instead been a long musical interlude– very pretty!

Shema Hashem – Composed by Ari Goldwag

This song, composed by Ari Goldwag, and with Ari singing guest vocals, takes a bit of a different twist, with more of an alternative feel to it. When I first heard it, I thought there wasn’t enough to the low part, though I did like the high part. The more I’ve heard it though, the more I’ve come to appreciate it, and I like how the high and low part compliment each other. The whole thing with the English words wasn’t really up my alley, and I thought the saxophone and guitar pieces were a bit too long, but I did like how, towards the end, they alternated between the Hebrew and English, and between Ari and the Bell brothers. Definitely a great song though with great arrangements, and I like that they mixed something with a different feel into the album.

Shema Hashem (HOT!) – Hello Ari Goldwag! This is totally Goldwag’s song (he sings on it as well) and I’m loving it; in fact, I can’t get enough it. It’s funky, fresh and has a great sound. The English in this song is a nice touch. It’s a close one, but this song gets my vote for best song on the album. No comparison here, aside from Sheves Chaverim’s “Hashem Loves You”.

This song is really unique. It’s got a jazzy coffee shop feel with both the music and vocals, which Ari Goldwag starts off. It’s catchy, it has a good message, it’s got great vocals… then there’s a change (don’t worry, those things stay) when English lyrics come in. The theme stays the same– “I always knew You were there for me, I knew that You were listening…” I love it! They got this jazz feel right on- different without being weird and still retaining the Sheves Achim feel and the Jewish feel, of course. Great, great song!

Leshana Haba – Composed by Elimelech Blumstein

This is Elimelech’s second song on the album, and although I liked his first song (Sheves Achim) better, this song was a nice way to end of the album. In some ways, I felt that there could have been more to the song, and there were some parts that sounded a bit repetitious, but that could just be the way it was arranged. Definitely a decent song though, and a nice end to the album.

Nice lyrics for a closing song. This song goes out on a mediocre note with this song. It’s a very repetitive song, much like any other Leshana Habah song out there. It’s not a bad song but it doesn’t really add anything to the album.

Of the fast songs, this is my least favorite. There is something great about it in that there are amazing harmonies throughout, but it gets really repetitive since they only say “Leshana haba byerushalayim habnuya” for over 5 minutes. So, yes, great vocals and fun tune, but not as good as the other fast songs mostly due to the repetitiveness.

Conclusions

It seems ironic that JMR ran a post on best Jewish songs that double as lullabies at the same time that I was asked to review an album titled “Lyla Byes”, a bedtime CD for mothers and children by Tamar Rudy.  Featuring fifteen original and classic lullabies in addition to six bonus instrumental tracks, Lyla Byes clocks in at 54 ½ minutes, offering soothing music designed to make bedtime just a little bit easier.

Rudy, a Beit Shemesh resident has starred in several of Israel’s renowned Zir Chemed Productions, as well as being a featured guest on Rebbetzin Tap:  Get Ready for Shabbos.  Her vocals shine on Lyla Byes and the songs, a mix of Jewish, secular, classical and original songs can be enjoyed by both those who are being tucked into bed and those who are doing the tucking.

My favorites on this album?  Mimini Michael and the classical pieces.  And while I enjoyed the vocals on Lyla Byes, I thought that the instrumental pieces were especially relaxing and hopefully, conducive to sleeping.

What parent out there hasn’t been at wits end trying to get a stubborn little one to drift off to dreamland?  Lyla Byes might just be the answer to your prayers.  Check it out at mostlymusic.com.