MATISYAHU

Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown”: Here was a true original, the song announced – a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisyahu’s previous recording Live at Stubb’s, went Gold.
True originals, though, don’t stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there’s much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. Light is anything but safe. The 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall and ska-inflected New Wave to laidback pop-rock and acoustic folk-soul. While reggae is far from absent here—see the old-school toasting in “Motivate”—Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory.