Ben Snof: Hamasah – The Journey

Jewish Music Report would like to welcome our newest writer, Lana LA, who we are sure will be a valued addition to the JMR team!

If you thought you heard all that Israeli music has to offer, guess again and pull out your ipods and you might as well set them to “repeat album” because you will want to listen to this CD countless times over. Not only is Ben Snof’s music original in its making from lyrics to melodies, his voice is as unique as they come.  Not embellished with any fancy studio equipment, you can hear the raw power in the unbelievable notes he hits over and over in his album “Hamasah – the Journey” released in 2010, but the full power of his voice isn’t even captured on the CD, check out some of his live performances and you’ll be amazed at the clarity and pitch he maintains even on that microphone.

This album has songs that range from traditional lyrics to his own created odes and ballads that leave the listener amazed.  Songs  like “Im Eshkacheich Yerushalayim” or “Shir Lama’a lot” performed (and tweaked)  by almost every Jewish performer in the music world today, come alive in another light when Ben takes the stage and takes the song and listener  to a deeper level.

While a song such as “Avinu Malkeinu” has “pop hit” written all over it, other songs such as “Sha’arei Chuppah”,  “K’Shoshana” and “Shavu Bonim” (a song which features the voice of captured soldier Gilad Shalit speaking to his parents) will have you so wrapped in the emotion infused in the track you might just forget where you are. If you’re looking for words and music that really come from the soul this album will not disappoint you.

In all, the songs of this album project a soft, sensitive, yet powerful and intense feeling that really hits a chord within you.  Even if you don’t understand all the words in this all Hebrew album, you won’t be able to miss the magic of this CD. With clear talent and apparent simplicity Ben Snof weaves melodies and meaningful lyrics into great sounding music that could bring young and old to their knees- or jump out of their chair and start dancing (depends what mood you’re in).