New Voices

Two Jews and a Goy

The following three new artists are connected in a few interesting ways:

1. Their talent exceeds their age.
   
2. They clearly have something to say; you may not always know what it is, but it’s definitely there. Keep looking.
3. The plethora of references literary, political and biblical found in each album will send any inquisitive listener into a shame-hunt through Wikipedia.

Regina Spektor: Soviet Kitsch (2004), Begin to Hope (2006) -- Rising Jewish Star

"Spektor attempts something that's never been done before. It is, however, one of the rare albums where the talent practically sears the speakers. On Kitsch, Spektor combines cabaret intimacy, deliberately paced circular melodies, and an occasionally spooky emotional conviction as she works through tales of divorce, death, and downtown posers. Maybe only a few heard it, but fewer still walked away unconverted."*

http://reginaspektor.com

Try listening to: Samson, US

Baraka Noel: The Mixtape Philosophies of Mushroom Black (2006) -- First Album

"...it seems obvious that Baraka is an extremely literate man. He links vowels together like the best of Rakim or Nas’ first record but he does it with a vocabulary that will leave Hot 97 artists reaching for their Roget’s. … The music here is well above average but won’t revolutionize hip-hop’s sound. The lyrics however will change your perception of what intelligent hip-hop could be."**

http://www.barakanoel.com/

Try listening to: Religion (natch), New Year

(n.b., An added bonus to this artist is that he’s so hot-off-the-presses fresh that if you start listening to him now, you will actually be able to say that you liked him “You know, before he got all popular and sold out. His new record’s just way to produced, nah man you gotta listen to his old stuff” (note: in order to properly boost indie cred, this phrase must be said verbatim, regardless of truthfulness or quality of new music in comparison to old.))

Matisyahu: Live at Stubbs (2005), Youth (2006) -- Rising Jewish Star

"[Matisyahu] is making some of the best damn reggae music heard in the last several years. On his major-label studio debut, Youth, Matisyahu combines reggae-style vocals, singing, rapping, and beatboxing over his bands’ seamless blend of organic roots-reggae dub melodies, rock riffs, and hip-hop. And despite his devout Jewish beliefs, Matisyahu never comes off as too-preachy, instead focusing on universal life-lessons and the importance of self-awareness."**

http://www.matismusic.com

Try listening to: King Without A Crown, Time of Your Song

*Onion's A.V. Club Review
** OkPlayer Reviews

posted by Shlomocles @ 10:18 AM