Youth (Matisyahu album)

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Youth

Studio album by Matisyahu
Released	March 7, 2006
Recorded	2005
Genre	Reggae
Length	46:55
Label	Epic Records, JDub Records, Or Music
Producer(s)	Bill Laswell, Ill Factor, and Jimmy Douglass
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
Matisyahu chronology
Live at Stubb's (2005)	Youth (2006)	No Place to Be

Youth is the second studio album by Hasidic Jewish reggae singer Matisyahu. It was released on March 7, 2006 (see 2006 in music). The CD quickly shot to the top of iTunes best sellers list the day it was released (partially due to the fact that iTunes ran a special promotion for pre-orders.)

"When Matisyahu sings into the mic to the heavy-bass back up, guitars, and a drum kit, he's as much reggae dancehall, as Talmud study hall... Matisyahu is the new face of cultural fusion." – The Jewish Week

The first single from the album is "King Without a Crown", which was also a single on Matisyahu's previous album, Live at Stubb's. However, a proper video was shot for the Youth version of the song, whereas the version on the Stubb's concert album was accompanied by a concert video. The album spent two weeks at the #4 position in the Billboard top 200 albums in the US. On 27 December 2006, Billboard announced that Youth ranked 3rd overall on the 2006 Reggae album charts, immediately behind Live at Stubb's[1].

The topic of the album is mostly the support and promotion of youth voice, more explicitly in the eponymous second track. The album, along with its topic, mixes Matisyahu's lyrics, which contain several references to his Jewish beliefs, with a mainstream sound.

[edit] Track listing

"Fire Of Heaven / Altar Of Earth" – 3:59 (Matisyahu Miller/Josh Werner)
"Youth" – 4:18 (Miller/Werner)
"Time of Your Song" – 4:27 (Miller/Jimmy Douglass/Ivan Corraliza)
"Dispatch the Troops" – 4:05 (Miller/Werner/Jonah David/Aaron Dugan)
"Indestructible" – 4:09 (Miller/Douglass/Corraliza)
"What I'm Fighting For" – 2:11 (Werner)
"Jerusalem" – 4:00 (Miller/Douglass/Corraliza)
"WP" – 3:58 (Miller/Werner/David/Dugan/Daniel Eisenberg)
"Shalom/Saalam" – 1:06 (Miller/Youssou)
"Late Night in Zion" – 3:13 (Miller/Dugan)
"Unique is My Dove" – 3:24 (Miller/Werner/Dugan)
"Ancient Lullaby" – 4:18 (Miller/David/Dugan)
"King Without a Crown" – 3:42 (Miller/Werner)

[edit] Personnel

Matisyahu Miller - vocals
Roots Tonic - music (Aaron Dugan: guitar, Josh Werner: bass and keys, Jonah David: drums)
Marlon "Moshe" - guest musician on "WP"
Sobol - guest musician on "WP"
Stanley Ipkis - guest musician on "WP"
Yusu Youssou - guest musician on "Shalom/Saalam" and "Ancient Lullaby"
Bill Laswell - production, engineering
Ill Factor & Jimmy Douglass - production on "Time of Your Song," "Indestructible," and "Jerusalem"
Bob Musso - engineering
James Dellatacoma - assistant engineering
Michael Fossenkemper, Turtlestone Studio, NYC - mastering
Michael Caplan - A&R
Ben Goldman - additional A&R
Jacob Harris & Aaron Bisman for JDub Records - management
Dan Mandell & Jeff Ayeroff - art Direction
Seth Rappaport (US) & Geoff Meall (UK) for The Agency Group - booking