Matthew Miller is a Hasidic Jew who plays reggae. Usually I would not bother to note someone's religion when describing their musical style, but in this case his faith seems to be even more of an integral part of his music than, say, Christianism is in Sufjan Steven's, for example. At the very least, you are now ready for the unusual occurrence of seeing an Orthodox Jew (black hat and thick beard included) rapping and dancing in a music video. Matisyahu's energetic dub reggae, blended with hip-hop and guitar rock elements, provides the backdrop for his upbeat lyrics of faith and religious imagery, sprinkled with occasional Yiddish and Hebrew words. Apparently he's better performing live than on record --just don't expect to see him play a Friday night gig or have women play back vocals for him on stage.
His live recording Live at Stubb's was a minor hit in the US last year, and his new, second studio album, the irregular but entertaining Youth comes out today. Check out the video for his current, re-released single 'King without a Crown,' his best song to date, also included as the closing track in his new album.
