July 31, 2000
Hevey Dan
Gal Star Productions / Gal Paz
Efraim Mendelson's second album is straight out of Mordechai Ben David's heyday. The sound is the same, the style is the same, and even Mendelson's voice is so remarkably similar to MBD that they could be related. The biggest difference is that while MBD lives and works in Brooklyn, Mendelson lives in Beit Shemesh, which is fast becoming a center of Jewish Music in Israel.
The album features a good mix of upbeat dance numbers, including the hit title song, and soulful ballads with feeling and emotion. The best of these ballads is the second track, Tzadik. In addition to Mendelson's lead stylings, child soloist Elisha Aricha performs his debut on this album. The two combine for a powerful performance, evocative of the emotion behind the words.
The lyrics for Tzadik come from the first chapter of Eicha, the mournful tome that is read in synagogue on the night of Tisha B'Av. The music and harmonies of this song are very appropriate for the source of the lyrics, and the song is one of the best of the current crop in Jewish Music.
It was therefore with no small surprise that I listened to the end of the song, where the producers decided to add some obviously canned applause in three areas where it sounds quite unnatural. The combination of the out-of-place applause with the fact that the words come from such a sad source left me wondering just what they were thinking of in adding it in the first place. The applause spoils what is otherwise a fantastic song and a very impressive performance by Aricha.
The canned applause, the only noticeable artificial effect on the album, is the only real problem with it. The music is capably performed by Ron Vered, Avi Singolda, Dani Flam, and Yaron Gotfried, which is one of my favorite combinations in Jewish music. These four form the basis for the best Jewish Music bands in Israel, and the other musicians complement their performances very capably.
The seventh track, Adam, is also a tremendously evocative number. The lyrics come from the musaf service for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and speak of the mortality of man as compared to the eternality of G-d. The song is remarkably ethereal, with the vocals, again featuring Aricha, hovering with a ghostly presence above the music, and the music providing an eerie drama to accompany the lyrics.
Mendelson showcases his vocal abilities quite well, and certainly has the potential to become a true star on the Jewish Music scene. He needs only to concentrate more on the pure beauty of his music and its lyrics, and do away with cliched effects.
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