I downloaded this as a Podcast a couple of days ago, and listened to it while driving home from work today... By the title, I thought it might be a comedy routine. In the vein of "Two Rabbis enter a bar..." I was intrigued to hear about a Chasidic Jew who didn't make a living singing something more traditionally conservative - ya'know... chanting niggunim. Anyway, I'm tooling along the road and find myself being drawn into this young man's story and music. I believe that the music would be of interest to Christians and Jews, but I believe that it may resonate more with the Jews in the audience. I know, it did with me (found Matisyahu's website and ordered the CD). I give this presentation five Chai's out of five. Excellent!

This piece is about the match of a cultural and religious identity with an unlikely musical form. The interview with Matisyahu is the more compelling bit of this piece alongside his music. I love the transition from the narrator to the live music ("what happened next was) and I think it could use even less of the narrator. This piece could be shorter if cut down to the interview and music.