I write this review after having seen him live last night at the Aladdin Theater. I had heard of Matisyahu (aka Matthew Miller) about 6 months ago on NPR. At first the idea of a reggae singer who was a hassidic jew seemed like little more than a novelty. I was wrong. I changed my mind after they played one of his songs. At that point I had to buy the CD (From Amazon of course). When the CD arrived I was absolutely blown away. There is so much passion and magic in his music. His writing and vocals are matched equally by the talant of his band. The highlights of the CD for me were the first track, Sea to Sea, (My favorite song), Chop 'Em Down and Beatbox. Unfortunately the CD does not do him justice compared with seeing him live. While the CD beautifully captures his voice and talant, what it can't do is convey his stage presence. If you ever have the opportunity to see him perform live, DO IT! It was worth the cost of admission. It wasn't just a show, it was one of the most intense experiences I have ever had at a concert. It's probably the closest I have ever come to having a spiritual experience. I have not been this excited about a new artist in at least 15 years, if not longer. I can only hope this is just the beginning of a very long and distinguished career. He has a studio album which is not available on CD but can be downloaded on Yahoo Music which is worth listening to. He also has a second CD due out in January.

I love reggae but am extremely picky. I pretty much only listen to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and stuff like Shaggy makes my skin crawl. I finally heard so many good things about Matisyahu that I had to check him out, and I'm happy to say that he's totally genuine and incredibly talented. His music is intelligent and intense, and he's backed by a great band on this cd. I'm very happy I bougth this. I can't wait to see him perform live! In my opinion, this is a must for reggae fans.

An orthodox jew doing reggae?! That was such an odd combination that I just had to buy his two CDs. Believe it or not, but Matisyahu has created a really new and totally cool sound! The man combines real musical talent with a burning belief. He uses his music to express his own strong passion.
This is art inspired by religion much in the same way as the Sistine Chapel is. The religiosity or religion of the listener is not that important.
There are some songs that are not that good, but others, like Chop 'em down and Sea to sea are just great. He is still finding his way in the musical world, and some experiments are bound to fail (eg. Warrior and Beat box). I prefer this CD to Youth.
He also sounds like a quite cool guy in interviews, and is not a fanatic in any way, which is a relief.

This is great music. My only complaint is that he could have varied the beats more in the album. He basically uses the same beat over and over again, but his music is so impressive that he still gets 5 stars.

Dont ever forget that Rastafari is all about King David and his desendants through the line of Sheba as reported in the Ethiopian "Kebrah Neghast" translated as "the glory of kings".
Is not the fault of reagge that the media only sees the "locks"
and smoking of herbs as the most intresting aspects to highlight. Dont let these "dred boys" on the corner fool you most do not even understand what thay are representing;there are very few real Rastafari in America.I was born and rasied in Kingston Jamaica and left at 25, ive been on the hillsides with the elders of Rastafari; seeking knowlege. I love this youth music because it represents the same thing that all the greats of Rastafari represent...and thats the root of King David. Give thanks.