August 28, 2000
Shuvu El Hashem
Gal Paz / Sameach
The period immediately following Tisha B'Av generally features the rapid-fire release of several Jewish albums, coming as it does after two major periods of national mourning. This year is no different, with no less than five new albums hitting the Israeli market in the week after Tisha B'av.
One of the best of this crop is Shuvu El Hashem.
Shmuel Brazil is best known for the eight albums he released in the 1980s under the Regesh name. But Brazil has been absent from the Jewish Music scene for a while, and has now come bursting back with this collection of songs he composed, which are sung by Moishe Mendlowitz, Yaakov Shwekey, and emerging superstar Yosef Wartelsky. Mendlowitz has a couple of albums of his own out, which were generally well-received, and Wartelsky, formerly of the Tzlil Vezemer Choir, was also featured on last year's smash hit Shalsheles album. On Shuvu El Hashem, Wartelsky appears in almost every song, and steals the show. He continues to show a maturity beyond his 16 years, combining a steadiness of voice and a powerful delivery that are absent in many performers both older and more experienced.
The songs on this album are vintage Brazil. They remind the listener of the best Regesh tunes, combining soulful power with sweet melodies and often melancholy lyrics. The music is capably arranged by Yisroel Lamm, one of the foremost arrangers in the field, and remains true to the older style of full instrumentation and staying away from synthesized or computerized sound. This album is a very good reminder of what we have been missing from Shmuel Brazil for the past decade. For those who have been yearning for more Regesh, you will love this album.
Shloimie Dachs
K'Ish Echad B'lev Echad
Gal Paz
Also among the hits of this summer's crop is Shloimie Dachs's third release. His first album in two years is a brilliant continuation of the winning style he popularized on his previous two efforts. The title track has been featured as a chart topping single on Jewish radio both in Israel and abroad for months, and the rest of the album is equally good.
Dachs has been one of the freshest and most upbeat voices on the Jewish Music scene since his first album four years ago. But he began making a name for himself earlier with his excellent performances as part of the Shevach group in the early 1990s. While Shevach was more of a hard-rocking style, Dachs has mainstreamed his sound on his solo albums and continues to show high energy and excitement in his faster songs, and an appreciation for the beauty of his ballads.
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