Moshav Band music CDs. Contemporary Christian musicians can join under the CCM flag, but what happens when similarly themed spiritual music is played by Jews? There isn't a "CJM" tag yet, but if there was, that's where the reggae/hip-hop heavy Matisyahu and this talented trio would land. The group's eighth release follows its Best Of compilation by a year and finds the threesome slimming down its name by losing "band" and moving from a more folksy approach to a fuller electronic/worldbeat, heavily influenced by Peter Gabriel. Sung predominantly in English with occasional forays into Hebrew, the sound is propulsive, full, and filled with Middle Eastern chord changes. Driven by a percussive heavy style (Critters Buggin' and well-known session drummer Matt Chamberlain assists on a few tracks) and a slick but non-commercial sheen, Moshav keeps its spiritually based lyrics ambiguous enough to apply to any religion. Occasional clunkers such as the clichéd "Heart Is Open" notwithstanding, tracks like the moody "Abba Shimon" mesh a traditional Jewish style with sweeping electric guitars and arena-filling sound. The result sounds entirely natural in its ability to blend the time-honored and contemporary without losing sight of pop song structure. No fewer than 11 guest musicians spread out through the 13 tunes bolster the music, but the Eddie Vedder-styled vocals strike a successful balance between radio-ready ...

Moshav Band discography. Raised on the Moshav Meor Modi'im, a musical village in the hills between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the four young men who make up the Moshav Band - Yehuda (vocals, persussion), Dovid (vocals, guitar) Yosef (Bass) and Meir (Mandolin Guitar) ...