Matisyahu to Play Central Park

Matisyahu performing in Baltimore last summer.

CREDIT: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Hasidic reggae phenom Matisyahu (or, as the Ticketmaster electronic voice calls him, Matis-aya-who), plays New York’s Central Park Summer Stage tomorrow to promote his new album, Light. Matisyahu, who follows in the great tradition of Jews in reggae, told Boston Music Spotlight over the weekend that Light includes “electronic stuff, there’s more organic, singer-songwriter kind of stuff, there’s some more kind of indie rock vibe, some hip hop stuff.” Still, articulate-ness might not be his forte; on the catchy single “One Day” he admits “Sometimes in my tears I drown/and I never let it get me down.” And lyrics like “Stop with the violence/stop with the hate” suggest that coming up with an original message (remember “Imagine”? “Down by the Riverside”?) might be something of a challenge, too.

Matisyahu + Umphrey’s McGee at SummerStage [TONY]
Matisyahu Expands Sound, Vision on Light [Boston Music Spotlight]
One Day [Matisyahu’s MySpace]
Previously: Melody Maker [Tablet]