Shir Israeli Songs CD - Import

From a mishmash of British, American, and Israeli musicians comes Shir, a group of relatively young musicians playing Israeli songs. The tone remains somewhat light throughout the proceedings, thanks in large part to Piotr Jordan's violin work and the light vocals from Maurice Chernick and Ivor Goldberg. The songs chosen for the album are primarily from the current nation of Israel, that is to say post-WWII. The songs are largely on the joyous end, or at least optimistic, and the music carries the mood quite well. The few that don't stem from the modern Israeli state include the classic "Hava Nagila" and "Bashana Haba'ah." Overall, the album is mildly standard in sound, but there is something to be said for the focus on more modern works, where most Jewish albums tend to aim for the more ancient end of the spectrum. Thoroughly enjoyable. ~ Adam Greenberg

Shir: Ivor Goldberg (vocals, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, classical guitar); Maurice Chernick (vocals, clarinet); Piotr Jordan (violin); Steve Rose (melodica, acoustic bass, percussion).