Guest Post: Moshe Composer Reviews Miami’s Ut Ut CD

THE MIAMI UT UT ALBUM REVIEW BY MOSHE MILSTEIN

Over the last 10 years I sensed that Miami has been leaning toward a ”newer” style. Looks like they were trying to get into today’s style. Yerachmiel Begun as we all know is one of JM’s most talented and successful people and he’s known for his completely original style.
His music is different than all others, and so is his choir. In the past we’ve heard a very unique sound that we all loved in his music. Although the last 2-3 albums were amazing, they didn’t have that ”old feel” to it that we all would have liked to hear. I think he understood what the people want, and he decided to do the good old Miami style again!

He has done an amazing job on this album as well as all the previous albums, but this one is special since I would call it a ”comeback!”
So lets all give a huge welcome back to The Miami Boys Choir!!!!
(After an hour of applause…..)

Lets take a look into the title track….

Track #1 Ut Ut:
Starting off as most Miami albums do, the music has some loud strings as the drums and electric guitars play the intro Along with a few short blasts of brass.
The song starts!! Choir sings the low part ”Sheyiboneh” in what feels like forever, but it’s a good thing, Yerachmiel likes to build up the excitement in his songs, so he starts off like that sometimes. But then as soon as the chorus begins and the choir sings ”Ut Ut”, you get that dance tingle in you!
Soloist did great! The bridge is very Miami style, very Geshmakeh bridge.
And then….. Singing the tune of the chords, they sing ”Kumt Shoin Shnel Arain” -Yiddish lyrics borrowed from an old MBC song!
Great combo! Love when Yerachmiel (YB) does the Oh Oh Oh! In middle! :)
And then my favorite part of the song, drums stop, and u hear some strings and then a blast of guitar and drums again!
And then the choir goes up a key!
Here’s where YB does harmony in an Eli Gerstner style! (Believe it or not) Whooa Whoa! :)
Lets move on to track #2

Track #2 Lebedik!
VERY old Miami feel to this song!
BUT with some heavy techno electronic music to go along with it!
Song is all about Dancing and singing at a wedding Lebedik and singing Hartzig while saying Asher Bara Sasson Vesimcha, etc.
YB sings in the background Almost the whole time in this song.
Then a soloist shouts ”Everybody!” and the choir goes up a key to the peak of the song! Song ends when another soloist shouts it again and the whole choir shouts ”Lebedik!”
Great song!

Track #3 Boi Kallah
Intro is very soothing, mostly piano & trumpets, (this is a Chuppa song) choir starts singing the words of Eishes Chayil, Harmony kicks in right away, beautiful harmony.
High part ”Boi Kallah” is just beautiful!! Just to note, this song has some tiny Parts that are slightly off pitch, it bothers me, dunno why.
Solos were recorded well (though could have been recorded cleaner) But don’t get me wrong! It’s an extremely beautiful song!
Love when the music stops and just strings play and the choir sings!
All the soloists in the choir now besides 1 (Dovid Pearlman), are new members (in this album)
YB ends off the song with a very ”YB” style.

Next!! Track #4 Besimcha Rabah!
Favorite fast song on this album!!!
The Miami Alumni joins the choir in this ”Nodeh/Kevodo” style song! Arrangements are very up to date; music is what we would hear in a Naftali Schnitzler arrangement! This song sounds like he put it in for-
1: The Chasidish/Heimish crowd.
2: To have a song on the wedding 2nd dance floor
And 3: For those that want the newer style.
Starts off with a Bum Bum Bum melody, going right into the low part, ”Mi Chamocha”
And then 2nd part ”Norah Sehilos”
And then Bum Bum once more and wham into the chorus! ”Besimcha Rabah!”
Great! Love the next time around when it does the (forgive me if I don’t use the right Wording because my music terminology isn’t too good.)
Start/stop thing!
Awesome song!
YB does a solo, man! He’s losing his voice! :) Still good! YB’s lower (now) voice gives the songs a certain feeling.
It’s still the voice it needs! Song ends off almost like Revach did, in a classic Miami ending!!!
What a song!!! Love it!
Let us move on to track #5 Tzur Yisrael!

Track #5 Tzur Yisrael
Slow(ish) song, very easygoing song, you can enjoy when u wake up and drink your coffee, ahhhh! Soloists are GREAT in this song!
Love the sound of the choir!
They did an astounding job in this song!
Soloist Dovid Pearlman has a beautiful solo in this song!
He really has a great voice!
Music is exceptionally good here, and the song ends off with a ”Hey!” :)

Track #6 V’Shum
Light rock here! Miami trademark rhythm! :)
Sounds like the tune could be a YBC song, music doesn’t though. The song probably won’t go anywhere far, sounds like it was filler.
Its nice, but not a MBC hit!
Choir is nice in this song.
Lets move on!

Track #7 Invei Hagefen
Serious slow song sung (wow, 4 words starting with ”S”) by the Miami Alumni.
Composed by YB for his son Chananya’s wedding.
Sings about a Bayis Ne’eman mixed with some beautiful Yiddish lyrics, high part is Invei Hagefen.
Sung beautifully! I must say, the Alumni are a real professional bunch!
They sound great together! The harmonies are super! Just noting, the solo vocals sounds very auto tuned. Not sure if it is, but it sounds so.
Very shaky and patched up.
Still nice though! It’s a really nice song! Once again, it has that old Miami feel to it!
Music is really nice here too!
Moving on to track #8

Track #8 Sameach
This song is a song about being happy while dancing in front the Chosson and Kallah.
YB explained that this song is a happy song with happy lyrics, but most of the chords are in minor key, which makes it sound sad.
He explained that as happy as we all are, we’re still sad about the Beis Hamikdash not built.
So we wont be fully happy till Moshiach comes, so even when singing a happy song, we are still sad.
He made this song with that in mind, not to forget that we are still in Golus and we cannot be truly happy. Song still has a certain happy feel to it though, it’s another one of the many ”Be Happy” songs on this album!
So many of them! Solos are great here!
Harmonies are so sad sounding it can make u cry! Unbelievable! :’) With Yiddish and Hebrew lyrics, this song goes far! Funny thing in this song, YB randomly counts to 12 in the background followed by a digedigedige! :D
Music is great!!!!
Love YB’s vocals!

As the song fades out, I look forward to this next masterpiece of a song….

Track #9 He Will Answer Us
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!!!!
Wanna hear a song that is professional, beautiful, soothing while in the same time energizing, very diverse & well recorded? Listen to this! The song is an English song that talks about freedom & prayer that one day, all our prayers will be answered & all will see it was worth it! This song isn’t sung by the whole choir. It’s a soloist song, sort of like ”When The Siyum Calls” was. Solos and duets, etc.

Crazy!! The music & tune sounds like it could have been taken right off a Broadway show! That’s how good it is! Music is very cool! Can’t describe it! In order to understand what I’m talking about, you must listen to the song. No other way to describe it. Lyrics were written by Soloist Orie Shaked’s mother. One of the greatest songs Miami ever had in my opinion!

Track #10 Lo Bashamayim He
Wanna have a very nostalgic moment? Listen to this song!!
It’s probably the most old style Miami on the album! Low part is regular, nothing sticks out. But the high part is awesome!!! Looooo Bashamayim He! Lo Lo Lo Bashamayim He!!! Full of energy! Music is a typical MBC style. No changes in that.
Solos were done very well! Song sounds like it might have been filler, but turned out to be one of the best songs on the album!

One thing is funny though, an accordion is played in middle, and it’s a bit slow.
Another part is cool! Cool part is the one where it sounds like a soloist starts sing the chorus and the choir does something else, sounds like an argument!!! Another cool thing is the mock ending like 10 seconds before the real ending.
Sounds like its over, & a split second later it continues! :)

Track #11 Pitchu Li
Slow song, with beautiful Hebrew words halfway from a Chazal sung in a Sephardi Havarah. This song is a very new style. Not new as in todays style, new as in new for Miami. It has a fresh flavor to it, somewhat spooky, feels like you’re begging Hashem to open up the small opening u made and make the opening much bigger!
Pitchu Li! Open it up for me! Help me! It really sounds like the song is begging Hashem. The chorus is a key up, like Nekadeish a bit. Chilling when the choir sings ”B’ni B’ni B’ni” Hashem says open up a door the size of a needle, and I will open it up to the size of a warehouse! That’s what this song is about! Beautiful! Music is classic Miami slow song style, lots of piano not much drums. This song gets you thinking.

Let us move on to the last song!!

Track #12 Kol Kol Kol-The Day Will Come
Great energy here! Ready? I am!!!
This song puts a new twist in the words we all use ”Od Yishoma” When in middle of the song a beautiful bridge with amazing vocals is sung in English singing the part we forget about these words That the day will come, we sing it at weddings & we think this is what its talking about!
Its not! It’s in reference to when Moshiach comes! But don’t worry, MBC assures us that ”The day will come” and ”He will come soon”
To top it all off, the song has a great chorus Being that the words are Kol Kol Kol, you can add this to the list of such songs in JM! (Ma Ma Ma, Dai Dai Dai, Li Li Li, Nu Nu, Mi Mi, etc.) It’s a great song with great vocals and soloists!
YB sings with alot of energy too here. Music is a great blend of electronic & live. And this song is the greatest way to end off this very special ”comeback” album!!
After all, it’s all about the ”Kol” :)
YB, great job!!!

And now that it’s over…. Oh wait a minute, its not over, I hear Ut Ut again, I guess we’re on repeat!
I hope you are too!