November 20, 2008
Combining the sounds of Bob Marley and Shlomo Carlebach, yet remaining wholly original, Matisyahu’s performance is an uplifting, powerful experience for all in his presence. His last album, Youth, was a compelling mix of ancient and modern sounds and ideas. The propulsive title track, with its rallying cry “youth is the engine of the world,” draws upon Matisyahu’s studies of Chabad Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn as well as his own tumultuous past. “When teenagers rebel, the reason is because there is something wrong. Not with them, but with the environment around them. That song is about making the transition from being an angry teenager, to actually becoming a grown man or a woman, changing yourself and the system around you.” Matisyahu’s next full-length album, “Light,” will be released April 21st, 2009 on EPIC Records.