Here, this works much better the farther his tracks roam from reggae, which – interestingly – makes the second half of the album an altogether more pleasant listen. It instead is a full immersion in the synth-heavy dance sounds of contemporary pop-radio, using Matisyahu’s distinct vocal style – half Jack Johnson crooning, half sludgy reggae bleats, yelps and moans – and religious flavor to differentiate itself. Taking three of the most dancehall-friendly tracks that made up Matisyahu’s generally uninteresting 2008 EP Shattered and adding 10 more dance-oriented tracks to fill out the disc, Light sounds little like Miller’s early work. Throw all that preachiness in the mix and Matisyahu has gotten less believable and more annoying over time. But looking past that, Miller has managed to transform over time from a somewhat average reggae musician with an interesting religious hook to a dub-rock musician with a particularly unforgiving taste for pop forays. So yes, Matisyahu is – on the surface level – an interesting gimmick. Adopting the moniker Matisyahu, the longtime Deadhead and fan of Bob Marley and Phish begins performing spiritually-infused reggae music in full Hasidic Jewish garb. American Matthew Miller, raised Jewish yet not particularly religious, converts to Orthodox Judaism after a spiritual awakening around his 16th birthday. If you don’t know Matisyahu’s shtick by now, it’s pretty easy to explain.
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