Idan Reichel and Erez Calderon/relation
Idan Raichel's project - a tower of light
What kind of music can ease the anguish a little in a chaotic time?
Is the right sound, the quiet and familiar one, or should the instruments be broken at least a little?
And how can such a thing be expressed in the mainstream of the mainstream, the bread and butter of Israeli radio?
"Tower of Light", the new album from Idan Raichel's project house, raised these questions anew.
First of all, the first interesting thing here is the return to the title "Idan Raichel's Project", in which he has not used a new album for more than a decade, while operating under his name only.
Over the years, the framework of the project has been more interesting and original than Reichel's solo works, first of all because he works with better singers than him, but mainly because as a talented arranger he is suddenly free to bring out much more colors from the songs.
"Tower of Light", the project's new album, needs this ability: it is a comforting album, not particularly long, which naturally deals with longing and loss.
About half of it Rachel sings, and in the other half distinguished guests.
Over the years, Reichel's style has become incredibly recognizable, and his recipe, which has created some of the most touching ballads of Israeli music in the last two decades, is already all too familiar.
"Tower of Light" is one of his best albums in the last decade, but it's hard to avoid the feeling when listening that it consists of several variations on songs we've already heard from him before, and "Sad Roses" creeps to mind in particular.
Among other things are included here, along with Rachel's solo songs, nice collaborations with Gidi Gov, a song in Arabic with Louis Ali (never taken for granted, even a decade and a half after "Minhar Li Meshithi"), a song in Russian with Arkady Duchin, a ballad by Roni Dolomi (in the war hit "Tahrez"), and a return to the old partner Shai Zabri.
All are endearing in their own right, but are quickly forgotten even after repeated listens.
Two moments succeed in making the difference: "Until a sea separates us" the instrumental, in which the absence of words makes the sounds powerful;
And most of all, the big surprise of the album, "I don't care", performed by May Spadia (the creator behind "Unicorn" and "My new dress") who also signed this song in collaboration with Rachel.
Apparently this is another childhood memory seasoned with longing and love, the kind we've already heard over and over again, but the way it's performed is unusual: Safdia almost cries the song, especially lines like "Just another moment by your side".
The storm of emotions that enters the song manages to shake the balanced formula and threatens to drown it in tears.
And that, alone, speaks to reality more than any other song from "Tower of Light".
And this is where the dog is actually buried: Rachel has been the prince of the mainstream for twenty years, but these are not good days to be in the middle of the middle.
On the contrary: in such crazy times, when everything around is burning and terrible, extraordinary expressions are required to express something with presence.
I don't expect Reichel to write a radical manifesto or to reinvent himself - but to point out the weak point of the middle of the road when the road approaches the abyss: as friendly as they may be, new songs that don't leave the boundaries of the formula in this disturbed period are doomed to be swallowed up in the vortex that is much louder than them and washed away by inattention the general in a short time.
True, it is not an ideal climate in which to write ballads for the general public, but let's face the truth: the climate we live in now is not good for anything else either.
Shlomi Shaban - Open house part 2
About a year after "Open House - Part I", Shlomi Shaban's first album for many years that won applause - also from me - comes the second part of the album, namely "Open House - Part II".
It is difficult to understand why the project was split in the first place: the second part has only four songs, with no essential connection that consolidates them together or separates them stylistically from the songs in the first part.
Be that as it may, it has been launched in recent weeks with an almost embarrassed silence.
The reason for this, as in many other cases, is the war that devoured the cards: what was supposed to be celebrated after the holidays, ends up coming out almost in secret, as if the songs are ashamed of their everyday playfulness, on days that are clearly not playful.
Apparently, it is a collection of tempting bonuses, including a wild rock opera and another collaboration with Chava Elberstein.
What could be bad?
The truth is that it's not bad, but not exciting either.
The opening song, "Wasting Your Time", is classic Shabani wit, for better or for worse;
It is followed by "Empowerment", a 12-minute parodies in the style of a beehive about Ted talks, didactic lectures and the world of high-tech - a virtuoso event that goes out of control, exhausts, indulges in nonsense and bluntness and a multitude of tricks and tricks just to show that it is possible, and inflated far beyond the necessary size;
And finally comes the slow "There's a woman in the background (photo)", led by our greatest and most wonderful singer, but to be honest: it's far from the truly exciting collaborations between the two.
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Among these three lies one truly wonderful ballad, with a brilliant idea behind it and a sweeping one that is perfectly sewn to it.
"Kaddishman (Rishumon)" is a record about the record, and at its center is a funny-dark question: who murdered the iconic artist's iconic sheep: is it time to forget it?
The creditors who wanted to collect their debts from the late artist?
And maybe the artist himself, or, worse than that - the critical/public discourse about her?
And maybe none of them.
Beyond the entertaining story, this is a spectacular discussion about the life of a work and everyone's desire to bite into it, with a loyal moral: great art is the one that has the last laugh on us all, and all the rest is nonsense.
Shaban, a great artist himself, understands this well.
I wish that in the next part - hoping that the current pace will continue - there will be more songs like this.
What does the opening song say?
It's a shame to waste your time.
Amr Goshen - Asher I was and ended
Between Peru and Mozambique, between France and Morocco, Amr Goshen travels with her guitar, and with a clear personal voice tries to find her way.
Goshen, a singer-songwriter whose name has been circulating in recent years with the sign "Havaha Kiit" next to her, illustrates in her debut acoustic album how something can be both primal, pure and not cynical and completely mature.
The world trip that accompanies her album is a journey of growing up, falling in love and coming to terms, and she records it in his voice, comforting and full of intention, and in a piece that merges with nature and opposes the noise of the time.
It includes eight songs, the best of which are the opening three - the tragic "What the Sea Gives (The Sea Takes)", "Peru" which presents an emotional cycle image, and "Kanya" - a duet with Oli Danon, himself a rising star in Israeli indie.
It's been a long time since such a beautiful launch to a career has been seen here.
More on the same topic:
Idan Reichel
Shlomi Shaban