Omar Adam opens 2021 with the first international song in Spanish along with Chico Castillo, who was once a singer in the mythical “Gypsy Kings” band (which is prominent in the song) and manages to reinvent himself and present us with a refreshing and fun vibe tailored to his vocal proportions.
The song “Toso Es La Musica” (“Everything is music”) includes ripples, a lot of bouncy and exciting Spanish gypsy rhythm and especially a lot of charisma and vocal chemistry between Adam and Castillo.
While the melody is not the kind of melody that will be remembered that is similar to quite a few songs in a similar style (ie Reggaeton) but it is irrelevant because one is tuned to the here and now and the new song manages to deliver the goods and elevate the mood. Recall that before Adam, it was Rotem Cohen who “rode” on this wave (and collaborated with Enrique Iglesias), I sincerely hope that Adam will do so in a dose and taste and will not tire of the style, which suits him, on us listeners.
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The chorus is catchy, but beyond that I did not find too much interest in the (seemingly) intriguing duet between Shlomi Shabbat and Moshe Peretz – “Why are you going?” Which came out this week.
There is no doubt that Peretz and Shabbat are talented and have a resume that proves itself, so the collaboration between the two was supposed to be more interesting and sweeping than another unnecessary romantic kitsch with standard text (and a bit of a strenuous rhyme, in my opinion). Do not get me wrong, the song is fine, but does not leave a taste of more and not so powerful for pressing PLAY again. bungling.
“With You” is Nicole Reidman’s new pop song that continues to record songs and try and cultivate a singer’s career. For my personal taste I like Reidman’s voice less. She is not a good singer at all in my opinion, sings too technically, sometimes fakes and does not really show good vocal abilities.
And there is a but here, the song is a cute and formulaic pop song: a yeast house for a hymn to the premise, a romantic text and a sincerity that stands out in its performance. Reidman does not give up on her truth and goes with it to the end and it is clear that the new song brings out the deepest feelings in her (and my personal taste is irrelevant in this context).
“Such are the times of 2020,” is what Miki Gavrielov, one of the most talented and special composers in Israeli music, chose to call his new album. It has not been an easy year for the local music industry (and for businesses in general), but when Gavrielov opens the album with a romantic and catchy country song – “Dreaming of you all the time”, suddenly all the sorrow and difficulty become sweeter.
In the next song, he joins Corinne Elal to “Stephanie” which combines French pop with Hebrew reggae, which also gets a full Hebrew version at the end of the album. Then comes the theme song he composed to the words of Nathan Alterman and combines accordion sounds (which sound like an opening from Chanson) with folk sounds that I am sure Gabrielov drew inspiration from Bob Dylan.
One of the romantic songs on the album is “You Flow in My Blood” written and composed by Gavrielov, a melancholy ballad about a broken and longing heart. This line continues with “If There Is No Love” which includes a collaboration with Esther Rada and presents wonderful harmonies between the two and a real and deep connection to the text and melody. In “What Will Be” Gavrielov returns a bit to do rock ‘n’ roll and takes out of him the musings that accompany his routine and his personal perception of reality.
“Walking with the Dream” is a song he composed to the words of Yaakov Rotblit, a song in which the calm melody serves well the optimistic words saturated with hope. The angry song on the album is “The Poverty Line in the Twenty-first Century” takes on a particularly strong meaning in such a bizarre period as it presents the many crises that have accompanied the country and claims that not much has changed since.
“Oh My Little Girl” reminds me in a sense of Gavrielov of the days of “Daddy Story,” a song by a father who dedicates a quiet and sentimental song of encouragement to his daughter. After another romantic ballad (“Come Back”), Gavrielov chooses to end the album with a rhythmic country song (as he opened it) – “Pay Me the Check” which would have made Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger proud of it, also because of its protests And also on the humorous side.
The Horstyl album includes the myriad influences that Gavrielov draws inspiration for his works over the years: rock ‘n’ roll, folk, country, blues, ethnic music (which is less noticeable on the album but still has a presence on it) and world pop. It ranges from angry protest texts that create identification especially on such unsettling days to romantic, sad, fragile and emotional texts.
He is both personal and social, both happy and optimistic and sad and gloomy, both simple and complex, both critical and full of insights and not willing to sit on the sidelines and be silent, or in other words: in the new album Gavrielov opens his heart, his thoughts and seems to have decided to The table in the most kicking way I’ve ever heard it.