I’m pretty terrible at being Jewish. I don’t keep kosher, I don’t go to synagogue, I’m not the most amazing with money, and my personal beliefs hardly conform with Jewish religious views. According to my genetics, however, I’m eighty-three percent Jewish. I am a descendant of multiple people who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust. I had a Bar Mitzvah, I celebrate Passover and Hanukkah, and my wife (by pure chance more than anything) is Jewish as well.
I don’t know if people realize this, but it’s actually frustratingly hazy. It’s technically not genetic, it’s not exclusively religious, and Jewish ethnicity varies widely based on locale. Regardless of the contradictions seemingly inherent in being Jewish, there is no question that there is a spiritual, cultural, and artistic unity among Jewish people. And in 2022, there probably isn't a musician who is more identified with the Jewish aesthetic than Matthew Paul Miller, a.k.a. Matisyahu.
Matisyahu’s latest venture, a self-titled LP, deftly straddles his reggae vocal style with dreamlike soundscapes and hip-hop beats, while simultaneously taking up subjects such as the reconciliation of old beliefs in the modern world, raising his children, the erosion of American culture, and his own personal connection to God.
Musically, the album juxtaposes fairly basic lo-fi hip-hop beats against pianos, synths, and strings. Songs like as "Am_Rica" and "Music is the Anthem" are particularly good compositionally and are showcases of how the album plays out. The man has a legitimate gift of singing and has a smooth flow when he goes into more rap-like passages.
Lyrically, Matisyahu spends equal amounts of time taking up his religious views and connection with God as he does addressing subjects like fatherhood, psychedelics, past and present relationships, his personal struggles with right and wrong, and the loneliness he has experienced in his own spiritual journey. From the very first track, Matisyahu acknowledges that he is not on a secular path with his music, and that it is not only his way of connection to a higher power, but also his mission to connect others to that higher power as well. Matisyahu outwardly shed his Hasidic ties years ago, but he can't throw them away entirely. He continues to try and maintain the mystical, Kabbalah-like connection with God through the personal ecstasy of making music.
Yet Matisyahu was stifled in Hasidism. He sees the world very differently than an Orthodox Jew sees it because unfortunately, the world is different than when the Torah and Talmud were written. It isn't feasible to follow the Torah down to the letter. God isn't here, talking to Abraham or Moses or Elijah. God isn't personally intervening in people's affairs. To Matisyahu, however, God is ever-present in his life. He is blessed by children who give him meaning and purpose in life. He is blessed by having musical talent and being able to preach his message to anyone who is willing to listen. His connection with God allows him to differentiate right from wrong and he is constantly striving to build a better life for himself, his family and his friends. Through his lyrics, we get a glimpse of what it must be like to not only be a reverent Jew, but also a reverent Jew whose personal connection to the Almighty is expressed in its fullest through his music.
While what I just described should be a masterpiece, the problem is that this review could probably be written about almost any Matisyahu record after 2009 and it would be a fitting description. The music he is producing is good, it flows, and it's mostly pleasing to listen to, but the formula has started to become tired. The vocal style does not always complement the musical background, and I repeatedly found myself slightly cringing at the Marley-esque reggae wails clashing with the hip-hop beats.
Most importantly, it appears that Matisyahu is holding himself back from further progress or growth as an artist by the very thing which he is trying to achieve. Music can unquestionably be a very spiritual experience, but where it used to be evident that Matisyahu was experiencing true joy with his music, it seems he is trying to chase that high and it’s just out of reach.
But I would be lying if I said the album itself is bad. In fact, as a standalone work it's excellent. There are definite points where Matisyahu's unique formula work well, such as on the tracks "Got to See It All" and "Lonely Day." Further, the end of the record sees Matisyahu abandoning reggae entirely and straight rapping on "Flip It Fantastic," and he's pretty damned good at it. In summary: despite the somewhat stale approach, Matisyahu maintains his status as a legitimately talented wordsmith and musician, who is capable of blending entirely different genres together into a sound uniquely his own.
