October 30, 2000
El Hana'ar Hazeh Hitpalalti / For This Child I Prayed
Gal Paz
Of the many albums to hit the market toward the end of the summer, Israel Parnes's debut album is uniquely remarkable. This album is a blend of upbeat soul music and melodious ballads, and features a musical sound that is a throwback to a more choral and less brash era.
Parnes's vocals are not what one would expect of an introductory album in the modern Jewish market. He has a bold voice but one that is nicely tempered by an "unplugged" sound and the inclusion of ubiquitous background vocals.
The songs are all original compositions, and many of them feature original lyrics as well. The title song is taken from the book of Samuel I, with the fervent thanks given by Samuel's mother for the gift she has been given of a child. Another song, Tefilat Ha'yeled is an original composition, and features a prayer from an innocent child, asking for protection and happiness, and acknowledging that we are all G-d's children and na?ve in our own way.
While Parnes is a new light on the Jewish Music scene, he uses many professional and well-known musicians to support his effort. Yaron Gotfryd and keyboards, Avi Singolda on guitars, Arie Velnitz on bass guitar, and Ron Vered on drums are joined by a full wind section and even a set of steel drums on one song.
The main disappointments on this album are the seventh track, Lechu Neranena, and the eleventh, Ani Omer Lachem. For some reason, the instrumentation on these songs is totally computerized. Techno-instrumentation is always a poor replacement for live music, and this is especially true on an album such as this, where leading musicians are featured.
There is little flash on this album. Mostly it is a fond recollection of what real, laid-back music sounds like. As a result, there are not likely to be too many hits for the wedding dance floor. But this album will provide quite a few hours of content easy-listening pleasure, and perhaps even a few kumzits favorites.
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