Matisyahu might have the market cornered on his particular niche of expression, that of reggae-tinged high-polish hip-hop beats with lyrical inspiration stemming from his roots in Hasidic Judaism and its traditions.
While themes of belief, retribution, and religious tropes come through from time to time on fifth album Akeda, spirituality takes somewhat of a back seat to Matisyahu's huge beats and reggae-pop basslines, though each song comes across in a wash of positive sentiments and philosophical musing.
The album runs back and forth between tunes steeped in traditional reggae influence such as "Black Heart" and the Collie Buddz guest-spotted "Confidence" and more pop-minded tunes like the brilliant horns of "Watch the Walls Melt Down" and the Coldplay-meets-Bruno Mars croon of "Ayeka (Teach Me to Love)." Matisyahu may be the only "Hasidic reggae superstar" (a distinction he makes in reference to himself on more than one of Akeda's tunes), but over the album's hour-plus running time he delivers such solidly catchy and meticulously produced pop music that much of its lyrical content and any deeper message get lost in the head-bobbing beats and pleasantly dubby basslines.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ReservoirStewart Brooks, Aaron Dugan, Mark Guiliana, Rob Marscher, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 2 | Broken CarStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 3 | Watch the Walls Melt DownStewart Brooks, Aaron Dugan, Mark Guiliana, Rob Marscher, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 05:25 | 12 MB | 36 MB |
| 4 | ChampionStewart Brooks, Sam Hollander, Matthew Miller, Steve Shebby | Matisyahu | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | Built to SurviveStewart Brooks, Stephen Gaines, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Ayeka (Teach Me to Love)Stewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller, Joe Tomino | Matisyahu | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 7 | Black HeartStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 04:31 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 8 | Star on the RiseStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 03:17 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | SurrenderStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matisyahu | Matisyahu | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 10 | ConfidenceStewart Brooks, Colin Harper, Matthew Miller, Joe Tomino | Matisyahu | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | Vow of Silence (Shalom)Stewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller, Joe Tomino | Matisyahu | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 12 | ObstaclesStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller, Joe Tomino | Matisyahu | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 13 | Hard WayStewart Brooks, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 14 | Sick for So LongStewart Brooks, Aaron Dugan, Mark Guiliana, Rob Marscher, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 08:12 | 18 MB | 48 MB |
| 15 | AkedaStewart Brooks, David Holmes, Matthew Miller | Matisyahu | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 67 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| 67 mins | 436 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francisco Botero | 10-String Bass, Assistant Engineer, Engineer, Second Engineer |
| 2 | Janice Cruz Brooks | Vocal Producer, Vocals (Background) |
| 3 | Stewart Brooks | Bass, Composer, Drum Programming, Drums, Dulcimer, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Synthesizer, Vocals (Background), Waterphone, Wurlitzer |
| 4 | Stu Brooks | Bass, Engineer, Producer |
| 5 | Collie Buddz | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 6 | Don Carter | Artwork |
| 7 | Sasha Dobson | Vocals (Background) |
| 8 | Jimmy Douglass | Mixing |
| 9 | Aaron Dugan | Composer, Guitar |
| 10 | Stephen Gaines | Composer |
| 11 | Bryan Gibson | Vocals (Background) |
| 12 | Mark Guiliana | Composer, Drums |
| 13 | Joel Hamilton | Additional Production, Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 14 | Colin Harper | Composer |
| 15 | Sam Hollander | Composer |
| 16 | David Holmes | Additional Production, Composer, Drum Programming, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Organ, Synthesizer, Vocals (Background) |
| 17 | Rob Marscher | Composer, Piano, Synthesizer |
| 18 | Matisyahu | Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 19 | Jordan McLean | Trumpet |
| 20 | Vlado Meller | Mastering |
| 21 | Matthew Miller | Composer |
| 22 | Jimmy Ovadia | Artwork |
| 23 | Jeff Pierce | Trombone, Trumpet |
| 24 | Mark Santangelo | Mastering, Mastering Assistant |
| 25 | Steve Shebby | Composer, Producer |
| 26 | Dave Smoota Smith | Trombone |
| 27 | Joe Tomino | Composer, Drum Programming, Drums, Engineer, Percussion, Synthesizer |
| 28 | Beau Vallis | Mixing Assistant |
| 29 | Zion I | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 30 | Zumbi | Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |