Rating: NNN
Like New York Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu (with whom she’s shared the stage), Toronto-born, New York-based songwriter Chana Rothman blends her Jewish roots with modern production sensibilities to create something new-sounding but familiar enough to have popular appeal.
She’s certainly assimilated a lot of musical genres on her debut. It’s not just the three Rs – rap, reggae, rock – that collide with her powerfully sung half-English, half-Hebrew lyrics, but danceable pop, introspective folk and a touch of jazz, too.
At times this smorgasbord of musical flavours and styles can overpower – rapping seems over-egged, and that distinctive staccato style is done better by Ani DiFranco. But, ultimately, the LP’s title, We Can Rise, is a good predictor of Rothman future.