Artist: Matisyahu Album: Shattered EP Label: Epic Records Rating: Buy it >>
Opening a new Matisyahu album always begs the question, “Why am I listening to this when I could be listening to real reggae?” Of course, there are probably a slew of postmodern cynics who are also asking what exactly “real” reggae is.
This EP seems at first to offer no answer to these questions. To the fan of Jamaican reggae, Matisyahu’s faked accent and self-righteous lyrics are cringe-worthy. Yet further listens reveal what has attracted the singer a popular fan base. His blend of traditional Jamaican motifs, classic rock guitar riffs, and hip-hop beats are like an anything-goes soup that somehow works.
What Matisyahu is lacking as a reggae artist, he begins to make up for with his fearless genre-bending. Shattered may not be life-changing, but with reggae and alternative rock being placed back-to-back in tracks like “Smash Lies” and “So Hi So Lo,” it’s at the very least interesting.
TheOwlMag on Matisyahu
4 months agoArtist: Matisyahu Album: Shattered EP Label: Epic Records Rating: Buy it >>
Opening a new Matisyahu album always begs the question, “Why am I listening to this when I could be listening to real reggae?” Of course, there are probably a slew of postmodern cynics who are also asking what exactly “real” reggae is.
This EP seems at first to offer no answer to these questions. To the fan of Jamaican reggae, Matisyahu’s faked accent and self-righteous lyrics are cringe-worthy. Yet further listens reveal what has attracted the singer a popular fan base. His blend of traditional Jamaican motifs, classic rock guitar riffs, and hip-hop beats are like an anything-goes soup that somehow works.
What Matisyahu is lacking as a reggae artist, he begins to make up for with his fearless genre-bending. Shattered may not be life-changing, but with reggae and alternative rock being placed back-to-back in tracks like “Smash Lies” and “So Hi So Lo,” it’s at the very least interesting.
- Review submitted by Talia Mazzarella.
more at theowlmag.comRocker on Matisyahu
almost 6 years agothis is gonna be a sweet show