Matisyahu may be an American Hasidic Jew who is a world-class reggae, hip-hop and rock artist, but his musical passions run much deeper than those formats.
Like many who are confident in their art, Matisyahu learns something in almost all the music he hears, situations he observes, people he meets.
“In some sense, it’s not a conscious decision but can be an artistic one,” he said, ticking off reggae, live and the “Youth” record (which won much popular and critical acclaim, including a Grammy Award) that he recorded. “Now I’m making music that I had always wanted to make.”
What’s somewhat annoying — certainly to the fans of Matisyahu if not the man himself — is that many critics and music lovers alike concentrate more on his religious beliefs than his musical structures. That’s too bad because Matisyahu is something of a student of music, listening to everything — from Bjork to the Flaming Lips and beyond — and gaining inspiration from it.
Not that his religion isn’t a large part of his music. Born Matthew Paul Miller, of West Chester, Pa., Matisyahu led something of a wild-child existence that included following Phish at one point, until he outgrew his teens.
“Music comes out of young culture,” Matisyahu said in an interview with Jeff Spevak of the Rochester [N.Y.] Democrat & Chronicle. “So to say, ‘The music is old,’ I don’t know if it fits cleanly into young or old, or what culture. But my religion, being the basis of what I do, is a part if it.”
Although most people know his 2006 album, “Youth” — which sent him into the musical big leagues and won him Billboard’s coveted Top Reggae Artist award, his 14-track CD “Light” is just as enchanting in its ska-infected new wave, folk-soul format.
The album was created after Matisyahu journeyed to Jerusalem to work with a friend to consolidate three years of learning Torah into 16 songs.
Once back in the United States, Matisyahu gathered an array of musicians and producers to help him mold and polish the songs. Despite the guests, the intricate sound is clearly that of Matisyahu.
And despite the turmoil in the Middle East, Matisyahu defined his music as anything but dour.
“My music is hopeful,” Matisyahu said. “Anger is a waste of time. Music is for personal journeys and struggles and spiritual aspirations. Hope, ideas. My music has less of a focus on what are the big solutions. ‘One Day’ is a song more tied to spiritual aspirations. Most of the world’s religions offer ideas that, at some point, there will be a nirvana, a state of peace and oneness.”
