|
Read article on Jerusalem Post site On Seth Nadel's debut album, One Thing I Ask, the American guitarist/ singer/songwriter uses the styles of classic rock and roll for the sake of feel-good Jewish soul rock. Early Joe Cocker is conjured up in the disc's mid-tempo, Hammond organ-heavy stylings, while Nadel's breathy vocal performance and Jersey Turnpike persona suggest a mid-Seventies Bruce Springsteen: "Hodu" even features a raspy "One, two, three, four," introduction reminiscent of Ben Stiller's familiar spoof of "The Boss." The classic rock direction works reasonably well - especially on "Pischu Li," which actually rocks, and on "Mizmor L'David," which employs a horn section effectively. "Hashiveinu Avinu" sports a smart guitar effect that thankfully stays in the foreground throughout the song. But it's on the more intimate, acoustic tracks that Nadel's voice grows powerful. On "Chasdei Hashem" he sings along with Dan Cousin's soulful harmonica, with remarkable chemistry. One Thing's lyrics are mostly culled from liturgy and the Bible, but two of the songs feature Nadel's words, with "Long Hard Road" cryptically mapping a journey to the self and "Goin' Back" focusing on his cosmic connection to Israel. Back to Press page |
Jerusalem Post (July 2005)
