One Week Later: Dovid Hamelech- Eli Marcus

Here we go! The debut album of Eli Marcus, Dovid Hamelech. I’m sure you all already know this, but Eli is part of a famous family. He is the brother to 8th Day, cousin to Benny Friedman, and nephew of Avraham Fried(man). You can see how this family is pretty much royalty in Jewish Music. This was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and it didn’t disappoint!

At 45 minutes long, the album sets a standard for Eli right off the bat. Each song was composed by Yossi Green with the exception of two. Each song is around 3 and 3/4 minutes average time and is short and to the point. For me, the most exciting part was that I can add a new artist to my playlist full of classic artists, and, more amazingly, have it sound like it actually belongs there. Eli in my mind is in the same ranks as all his more famous relatives. This album blew my mind, let’s go through the song by song and see if it will blow yours too. As always, please sound off in the comments below telling us your opinion of the album.

SHEYIBONEH– The trumpets blare to begin this hora, the bongos sound and we are off! The song has a nice rhythm and, like most songs on this album, is short and to the point. Ive been humming this song all day and I don’t think I’ll stop, I like it that much. A fantastic way to start off a debut album.

ROFEH NEMON– A beautiful slow song, set to the words of Refainu that we say every day in Shemonah Esrei. Eli really shows off his range in this song. He can really hit all those notes. This song could be a song that I can see Benny Friedman singing, it’s that good.

DOVID HAMELECH– The title track of this album, this song is definitely a disco. Heavy on the synth, it has a great low part and a great high part, though at times during the high part I feel like Eli was trying to catch up to the beat. It has a great beat, adds a nice mid, and is easily his concert opener. This song will be a hit.

KOL TORAH– A little like Tanya or Nisht Gadeiget by Avremel, but probably more Shloime Gertner’s Song of Moshiach, in that it starts slow, picks up speed, then slows down again, finally to end with the fast part. I like those types of songs as the fast part is a bit of a surprise, and it’s safe to say that I like this one as well.

MAZAL TOV– Composed by Yitzy Waldner, this song is a hora as well, belonging in that 2nd Dance area of wedding songs. This song has great guitar solo in the middle, and is definitely in my top 5 of this album.

CHAVIVI– A favorite of mine, this song also begins with those Sefardi sounding trumpets. This song has a fantastic low part, and the good thing about this song is that even though its sefardic sounding, there’s no fake accent here from Eli, like some other singers tend to do.

AV HARACHAMIM– A very nice slow song, not my favorite song , but definitely one worth listening to. It’s a nice kumzitz- type song, and and Eli shows off his voice in this song.

OSIYOS– A nice fast song about how the torah, HaShem and yidden are one. The song overall has a western feel to it, especially the high part. This is another great song from Eli and Yossi Green.

LOOK INSIDE– A Yiddish song composed by Elie Schwab. The song is slow paced, but not a slow song. It’s got a good flow to it and is very nice with the whistling being a nice added touch.

KEILI MACHZIK– The first time I heard this song, I thought it was the first song that I wasn’t really into that much. However, I have since then come full circle on this song, so much so that its a top song now in my head to the point that I sung it in my house and someone asked me, I thought you said you didn’t like that song? I really enjoy this fast song with a great high part. Sholom sholom!

YISHTABACH– This song is a nice slow song to end off this fantastic album. It starts with what I assume is a recording of Eli singing the song. It then starts and we hear the song, which is a back and forth song, meaning the choir sings it once, then Eli does. After that Yossi Green sings it followed by Eli, verse by verse.

This album is a must buy for any jewish music fan, straight up. This album is fresh, new, nice sounding jewish music. Go out and buy it now at mostlymusic.com or wherever you buy your jewish music, then please sound off in the comments section below. We want to hear your opinions.