Reviews:

Lyricists: David Kahne; Barrington Levy.
Personnel: Trevor Hall (vocals, guitar); Chevaughn Clayton, Michael A. Harris, Peter "Mann" Gayle (vocals); David Kahne (guitar, keyboards, programming); Eric Krasno, Jeremy Harding, Aaron Dugan, Reeve Carney (guitar); Stephen McGregor, Adam Deitch (keyboards, drums, programming); Shawn Pelton (drums); Jay E. & Easy Street (programming).
Audio Mixers: Manny Marroquin; David Kahne; Serban Ghenea; John Hanes .
Recording information: Anchor Studios, Kingston, Jamaica; Germano Studios, NY; Levcon Studios, Los Angeles, CA; MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA; Roc The Mic Studios, New York, NY; SeeSquared Studios, NY; Shabby Road Studios, LA.
Editors: Adam & Matt Podd; Rob Brill.
After three years (spent mostly on tour), Hasidic reggae toaster Matisyahu returns to the studio with LIGHT, the followup to 2006's stunning (if controversial to many) breakthrough, YOUTH. On the 2009 LP, his third, the prominently bearded Mr. Miller continues to venture further into the unexplored spiritual and philosophical realms of his heralded hybrid.

 True originals, though, don't stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there's much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. "As my musical tastes have grown I have been re-discovering my sound and my voice," he says.

Light is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall ("Smash Lies") and ska-inflected New Wave ("We Will Walk") to laidback pop-rock ("So Hi So Lo") and acoustic folk-soul ("I Will Be the Light"). While reggae is far from absent here--see the old-school toasting in "Motivate"--Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. "Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it," he says. "This process is an ever-changing one."