Idan Raichel
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Idan Raichel (עידן רייכל) of Kfar Saba, Israel, is a singer and a musician who reached enormous fame and popularity in Israel with his Project (הפרוייקט של עידן רייכל), distinctive for its fusion with ballads, electronics, and incorporation of the voices of the new Ethiopian immigrant community in Israel.
Prior to the Project, Raichel worked as a highly-regarded keyboardist, although he played the accordion as a child. He had achieved fame for his work with popular singer-songwriter Ivri Lider.
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[edit] Idan Raichel’s Project (2002)
Helicon Records released his first and self-titled album in 2002, with Raichel composing and arranging many tracks, as well as performing vocals and on the keyboard, while collaborating with numerous other artists for vocal and instrumental parts. Hit singles include Boi (בואי / "Come"), Im Telech (אם תלך / "If you'll go") and M'dab'rim B'sheket (מדברים בשקט / "Speaking Silently"). The popularity of these tracks within Israel also brought the artist to fame among Zionist diaspora communities, particularly the youth.
While Raichel sings the majority of his songs in Hebrew, a few are entirely in Amharic, while others include small samples sung in the Ethiopian language, both by male and female voices, setting traditional-sounding tunes to modern music. Love-songs predominate in his Hebrew lyrics, including Hinech Yafah (הינך יפה / "Thou art Fair") based on the Song of Songs, while the opening track also reaches into the depths of Jewish liturgy, with B'rachot L'shanah Chadashah (ברכות לשנה חדשה / "Blessings for a new year") sampling voices reciting traditional Jewish blessings.
[edit] Mimaamakim (2005)
Idan Raichel released his second album, Mimaamakim (ממעמקים / "From the Depths") in 2005, having released the title track at the end of the preceding year. This first track, reminiscent of the opening of Psalm 130 (traditionally recited by Jews in times of distress), attracted similar airplay to that of his previous singles.
The first and last tracks on the album feature the popular Israeli singer Shoshana Damari.
In addition to more catchy tunes in Hebrew and Amharic, Raichel adds Arabic (in Azini), another African language (in Siyaishaya Ingoma), Hindi (in Milim Yafot Me'ele), and Yemenite Hebrew to his linguistic repertoire.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Israel Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Idan Raichel’s Project | 3x Platinum |
| 2005 | Mimaamakim | 2x Platinum |
[edit] See also
- Amharic Music Videos from SHEGER VIDEO!
- Curriculum based on several of Idan Raichel's songs
- The Idan Raichel Project Official Website (in English) contains audio and video clips from the two albums, and other information
- The Project at MOOMA (Hebrew)
- MP3Music.co.il has Hebrew lyrics for many of Idan Raichel's songs
- [1] His performance at Womad Singapore 2005
