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News Reviews

New On CD

As a result, the performance feels, at once,
too over-the-top and too careful to be
emotionally stirring. ev'n shsiyahs
ev'n
sh'siyah
The Way Jews Rock:
"Hatikva" fails in every way that Jimi
(Elisha Prero Productions)
Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner" suc-
What do you get when you bring a group
ceeds
— too much brain and not enough
of amateur musicians together who are
heart.
Like much of the rest of the
equally versed in Judaism and vintage
album's concept, the decision
classic rock? The answer is
to close the recording with the
ev'n shsiyah, a Chicago-based
Israeli anthem seems to make
outfit, building a bridge
perfect sense on paper but fails
between their religious her-
in practice.
itage and the popular music
A common problem with
they grew up with.
so-called
"Jewish rock," is the
The band uses an inter-
same
one
that "Christian
esting approach to creating
rock,"
"Women's
rock" and any
its material by borrowing a
other
"You-Fill-In-The-Blank
variety of ancient Jewish
Rock" struggles with: The artist often
texts and setting them to original music.
devotes precious (limited) creative energy
Having had the occasional bad experi-
toward communicating the chosen reli-
ence of being exposed to Christian rock, I
gious or social message and is not left with
was a bit hesitant as I hit "play" on my
enough creative juices to devote to the
CD player. To my relief, I found that not
music itself. Case in point, ev'n shsiyah
being able to understand the words (the
does
not offer much originality on a strict-
songs are sung in Hebrew) proved a big
ly
musical
level. However, the
advantage, as I could evaluate the music
use
of
traditional
Jewish texts
on its own terms.
in
a
rock
'n
roll
environment
Opening with a couple of fairly deriva-
may be of interest to those who
tive sounding "rock anthem"-style num-
yearn for religious context in
bers, the CD first becomes interesting on
their everyday lives. However,
track 3. Based on a traditional chord pro-
going to shul on Saturday and
gression and closely following the Grateful
dusting off your old Santana
Dead school of extended jams, the instru-
records on Sunday may yield a
mental "Yemenite Fever" answers the ques-
more satisfying experience on
tion, "What would a traditional melody
both
counts for the rest of us.
sound like, if it were performed by Santana
Reading
through the English transla-
or the Allman Brothers?"
tions
to
the
lyrics in the liner notes, it
suc-
ev'n
sh'siyah
Instrumentals aside,
occurred to me that a common problem
ceeds best with its quieter, acoustic songs
with praising G-d consciously and directly
such as "Achas Sha'alti" and "Hallelu."
through song lyrics is that it often under-
The Hebrew verses seem to flow more
utilizes the tremendous subconscious
freely on these tracks while seeming
power of music. Unless it is done right,
restrained and forced on the more tradi-
setting
religious texts to music can be a bit
tional "rock" performances. Not surpris-
like
using
the space shuttle to fly to
ingly, the vocals are much stronger on
Chicago
—
it often fails to utilize music's
the ballads as a result — "Hallelu" being
full potential. To play music [well] in itself
a clear standout. Sounding a bit reminis-
requires an enormous amount of focus, in
cent of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," as
other
words, spirituality.
performed by the late/great Jeff Buckley,
Ironically,
the liner notes themselves
guitarist Ely Cooper's voice truly soars.
ultimately
provide
an answer to this
With its pentatonic scale inflections, Ely's
dilemma
in
a
short
notation to
voice would not sound out of place at a
"Niggun,"
a
gentle
non-lyrical
melody:
Baptist revival, but sounds especially
"Sometimes
a
niggun
—
a
simple
tune
fresh in this Jewish setting.
can
take
the
soul
to
a
place
words
The album closes with "Hatikva" (the
cannot reach." How very true...
Israeli National Anthem), which starts
out as a gentle, love-filled tribute to the
Let My People Go-Go: Zoom Golly
homeland, but gradually develops into a
(Roundlight Music)
multi-tracked, electric guitar arrangement
If I were writing a dream sequence for a
that becomes uncomfortably trapped
film in which I was moving through a
between a delicate candlelight homage
series
of seemingly disconnected scenes,
and mega-voltage '70s-style stadium rock.

perhaps spinning myself into a frenzy in
a dark disco with a techno beat pulsing
in my head, then being suddenly trans-
formed into a 13-year-old, reading from
the Torah at my Bar Mitzvah — Zoom
Golly's Let My People Go-Go would serve
as the perfect soundtrack.
Inventive soundscapes rooted firmly in
the world of modern dance loops serve
as the sonic backdrop for this collection
of traditional Jewish melodies and folk
songs, including a version of "Kol Dodi"
from Song of Songs.
While, at first, modern dance music
and ancient traditional tunes may seem
like strange bedfellows, Zoom Golly's
fusion of these polar styles works incredi-
bly well. The key to this CD's success is
first and foremost the strength of the
material (these songs have definitely
withstood the test of time!) combined
with Zoom Golly's obvious commitment
to actually getting the music right.
One possible exception is the grinding
version of "Hava Nagila" which feels awk-
wardly slow and out of its element.
Perhaps this melody is too well known to
sound believable in Zoom Golly's Prince-
like, funky incarnation. However, the CD
does not disappoint for long, as the party
resumes with a xylophone-
driven version of the folk
song "Shalom Chaverim."
"Bar Mitzvah," the album's
sole original piece, serves as a
short rundown of the artist's
life journey — from studying
the Torah with his father, to
spending his Bar Mitzvah
"dough" on a hollow-body
Gibson, followed by a less than glorious
induction into the music industry, which in
turn leads to a search for deeper meaning,
ultimately resulting in a return to Judaism.
If Let My People Go-Go is the culmina-
tion of that journey, then it has not been
made in vain. ❑

— Alex Lurnelsky

Sex, Drugs And Jews

In the introduction to his new book,
Guy Oseary — the maverick music exec
responsible for signing Alanis
Morrissette and Prodigy onto Madonna's
label (which he now runs) — writes, "I
was born in Israel and moved to the
United States when I was 8 years old. I
can still remember how excited I was
when I learned that some of my favorite
musicians were Jewish — it made me
feel proud of my Judaic background and
where I came from."
Now others can access that same
Jewish pride via Oseary's just-released
paperback Jews Who Rock (St. Martin's
Press; $12.95).
With a humorous forward by movie