Albums : Matisyahu : Spark Seeker
Albums : Matisyahu : Spark Seeker
Listen To Matisyahu : Spark Seeker
Who Is Matisyahu?
Since first emerging on the international stage in 2005, Matisyahu has established a reputation for following his muse—from the stripped-down roots reggae of the gold-certified Live at Stubb’s to the trippy ministrations of Youth to the polished pop eclecticism of Light. Then, in 2010, he returned to the venerable Austin venue that introduced him for Live at Stubb’s II, demonstrating that all those travels had somehow only strengthened his connection to his musical bedrock. It was a whirlwind half-decade journey, one that earned Matisyahu a place in pop culture at large.
And it was only the beginning.
Now based with his family in Los Angeles, Matisyahu blasts off yet again with Spark Seeker, a bold new studio album that finds the one-of-a-kind vocalist and songwriter exploring uncharted territory with help from an expansive cast of collaborators. “My musical tastes are all over the board,” he says in reference to a record that mixes ancient traditional sounds with futuristic electro beats, rapping with singing, songs of the spirit with songs of the body. “And, besides, my music has never been about the outer garment. It’s about searching out inspiration wherever it lies. This album is about seeking that spark within.”
Outer garments, of course, long defined Matisyahu in the eyes of many. “I was the Hasidic reggae superstar,” he says with a knowing laugh. So when Matisyahu took to Twitter late last year to post a picture of himself with his new look, he did it with a certain amount of relief. “It just felt good to sort of restart everything,” he says, adding that the transformation actualized one of the central themes of Spark Seeker: the impermanence of the physical form. “The Spark Seeker digs for truth and meaning and is willing to let go of everything to find it. He’s honest and authentic with himself and lives life from the inside out. He creates music from the depths and doesn’t worry about what category it or he fits into.”
“We live in a world where people tend to think in extremes and categorize with ultimate statements,” Matisyahu says. “While it’s true that at one point it would’ve been pretty accurate to describe me as Hasidic reggae, for most of my career my music has been a blend, a mixture.”
For Spark Seeker—not just a collection of random tracks, but a complete piece of work made with one producer—Matisyahu spent a year recording with Koool Kojak (Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker, Ke$ha) at the latter’s home studio in L.A. Then the pair went to Israel with an open slate. “We booked a studio there and invited various friends and musicians—including Zohar Fresco, Daniel Zamir, Ravid Kahalani and rapper Shyne—to come and simply play music,” Matisyahu says. “We began to blend all of this live instrumentation to create a unique record, made by multi-faceted human beings who have many sides and many sources of inspiration.”
The result reflects that wide array of voices and experiences. In the hard-hitting “Warrior” Matisyahu describes feelings of frustration and desperation, while lead single “Sunshine” rides what might be the most uplifting groove in his catalog; elsewhere, “Searchin’” pairs a gritty digital-dancehall beat with chanted lyrics and “I Believe in Love” exemplifies the album’s deep melodic streak. Throughout Spark Seeker you can hear Matisyahu embodying the album’s title—and embracing its humble promise. The album has a depth to it as well as a lightness, which alludes to the most essential theme of the record--that everything in life, especially music, exists in mixtures and blends. “Things are not as black and white as we would like to think. Not everything can be oversimplified," says Matisyahu.
“This is definitely pushing the boundaries of what I’ve done before,” he acknowledges. “It’s a new kind of record for me.” At this point we’d expect nothing less.
Spark Seeker Review
As Matisyahu blogged back in December, he no longer resembles a long-lost, Jewish ZZ Top frontman. In his latest video, he looks happy, healthy, and quite normal sans beard, with a handsome head of short, blonde hair. He said he’s reclaiming himself, relaxing on the religion, and trusting his “goodness and divine mission.” As a result, we have Spark Seeker, the 13-track album, produced by Kool Kojak (Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj), and recorded internationally, more specifically New York, LA, and Israel.
The record includes some feel-good pop songs, including “Live Like A Warrior”, an empowering, do-whatever-the-hell-you-want anthem (“Today, today, live like you wanna/ Let yesterday burn and throw it in a fire”). “Sunshine”, a track of buoyant beats, fits a similar mold: The verses may at first feel disarmingly poppy, but Matisyahu’s trademark reggae raps traverse into a chorus that could belong to anyone in the Top 40. His fans might not be down with with the more mainstream sound, but the attitude he’s recently adopted–that spending ten years immersed in Judaism did a lot for him, yet he’s ready to be whoever he damn well feels like–is infectious, as he sings, “I believe in love, yeah/ Now I’m free.”
The layering of the US-recorded songs with additional Israeli sounds and instruments gives the album the Matisyahu feel that followers have come to expect. Plus, on what other album does one find Hebrew croons that become English raps, everything segueing into extraterrestrial-sounding effects (album opener “Crossroads”)? Or guest vocals from an ex-convict turned Orthodox Jew (Shyne on “Buffalo Solider and “King Crown of Judah”)? Or a smooth-jazz sax that rivals the solo on Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” (“Summer Wind”)?
Many will dwell on the musician’s new look, but they shouldn’t. As he wrote of ridding himself of his beard, “just as when I was 18 and I shaved my dreadlocks to let go of my identity, I felt as if I was returning to a time prior to religion or rules or right and wrong.” Who can say they were the same person five or 10 years ago as they are now? As Jesse Pinkman would say to Mr. Matthew Paul Miller: Mad props, yo.
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