Hey there… sorry you feel that way. I know a lot of people are ‘reviewing’ the album with the same feelings you are having, but I hope you’ll consider that it’s really more shocking than disappointing. My initial response was “I love these songs, but just not these recordings of them”. But, I had to stop and ask myself why. I always stop and ask ‘why?’ about everything. The “Book of Why” formed that habit. I truly think, at first, I was convinced it was ‘too much, too soon’, change-wise. Less roots reggae with a band backing him up is one thing… Less roots reggae with a band backing him while there is less direct references to HaShem, Tanakh, Talmud, etc. just seemed like “why did it ALL have to go?”. Realistically, barring two songs (those being So Hi and For You), the album is absolutely a reggae album. If you know that reggae has many styles, just as say, metal or rock or whatever has many styles. I’m a roots guy. So, is the casual fan, though (however without knowing it), which is why everyone was putting on headphones, studying Matis’ every line for the standard patois, and wondering why the guitar riffs don’t remind you of No Woman, No Cry.
The truth is that this album is a lot more reggae than the unfamilar listener will grasp. Reggae has a lot of very differing styles from Dancehall, which has electro beats and those annoying clicks and beeps and overproduced nightmarish qualities that everyone finds so jarring on Smash Lies and other songs. Soca hip hop, dub, roots, rocksteady, and lets not forget that reggae came from ska, which was very ‘rock’ influenced. I happen to be a monster roots rude boy, listening to about zero else. Jimmy Cliff, lord creator, Melodians, Solomon Jabby, etc. which easily explains why I automatically zoned in on Thunder, Escape, Struggla, I Will Be Light, and On Nature (those organ riffs are absolutely, straight up roots reggae).
BUT… I also listen to enough reggae to know that Motivate, Smash Lies, Darkness Into Light, and some of the other “different” songs are all still in the reggae genre. If you guys were familiar with Sizzla and Capleton, who Matis site as major influences, you would not be the least bit shocked to hear all of these air horns, clicks, beeps, and casio drum loops. It’s reggae. It’s just not “I Shot the Sherriff” overdubbed with the wisdom of Hillel, King David, and Moshe.
Which leads me to…
I know how people felt when all of the sudden, the Psalms are gone, the references to Zion, Mitzrayim, etc. are all in the back catalogue. I spent a minute thinking how I fell in love with Matis’ music because I was a roots guy who now had access to what was basically Tanakh set to roots music. What a revelation. Now, Matis is putting his own journey into the words, and everyone is tripping over it. Here’s my “why?” discovery. It’s because he is a musician with thoughts, beliefs, and a gift to share his heart, which chases after G-d, with other people… he doesn’t work for JPS or whoever, making “The Bible Set To Music” cds. A part of me absolutely misses the direct quotations of the books which are my guide to halakah and on to HaShem. I love the word of G-d and I love roots styled reggae, so this album would seem like the end of the line for me as a Matis fan. But, the truth is, if he chooses to personalize lyrics and comes out with first person attestations to making choices like Jacob, going on to first person wilderness experiences, waiting to hear from HaShem (which is Thunder), I’m all about it. This entire earth experience has me running back and forth between the Bible and false idols. My soul knows exactly what is going on in Escape and how I need to apply it to my walking. It’s all in there.
But, after the initial trauma of unfamiliarity, please choose to see where he is taking you. It’s no longer direct quotations of scripture… it’s commentary and life application. It’s how to walk it out. The musical growth, to me, only begins to show a glimmer of the spiritual growth. It’s no longer studying the holy books, it’s about using them to heal this world. It’s completely uncoincidentally summarized in what everyone seems to be missing… that there is a direct quote from the Psalms in there… and by providence, I believe it’s the final thought on the whole album for a reason…
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my refuge”.
