NYBC Review
NYBC Review By: Mordechai Tiefenbrunn For TheCoolJew.com
Watch out boys’ choirs everywhere! There’s a new kid on the block, and he’s going to knock your socks off!
Last week, a brand new CD was released by world-renowned producer/composer Yitzy Bald, called the New York Boys’ Choir. Featuring old songs and new ones, this album in my humble opinion is the best choir CD I have ever heard before.
Yitzy writes in the album booklet, “Over the past 30 years, I have been attending and working for Camp Agudah in different capacities, including producing the choirs for the Cantata, a play that is performed a day before Tisha B’av. The producer of this truly moving play is a rebbe of mine, Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, Shlita. Interspersed throughout the play, I would lead the choir that sang songs a cappela. I must tell you, that the success of those choirs must be due to Rabbi Finkelman’s zechusim (merits). Some of my nicest songs and lyrics were composed for those cantatas. I directly attribute the success of those songs to his influence on me. Many of those songs became big hits in Camp Agudah and four of them have been included on this CD.”
My favorite part of this album, besides for the incredible arrangements and mixing, is the fact that Bald uses lyrics in his songs that essentially no one else has ever used before! For example, in the song “Chessed”, he uses words that I’ve never heard being used in a Jewish song before, and he even makes up lyrics for the songs Al Hasulam, Ride the Waves, and Yehudi. The music on this CD is also expertly done by both Nochi Krohn and Ilya Lishinsky together with a star-studded cast of musicians, including Gal Gershovsky on drums, Aryeh Kunstler on guitar, and other major Jewish music stars.
My one minor critique on an otherwise stellar CD is that the vocals are occasionally difficult to hear and slightly drowned out by the music, except when it’s a soloist vocal.
This is definitely one of the top CDs of the year, and again, I reiterate, boys’ choirs, beware! This is one album that is a definite must-have!
You wrote:
ReplyDelete"My one minor critique on an otherwise stellar CD is that the vocals are occasionally difficult to hear and slightly drowned out by the music, except when it’s a soloist vocal."
Do you know why that is like that? Because of the mix - which you just wrote is "incredible" ...
This is the best choir cd you've EVER heard?? Oh dear. Have you heard Miami Boys Choir It's Min Hashamayim, One By One, Torah Today, Tzlil Vzemer 2,4,5, 6, 8 .... Have you heard London School of Jewish Song's incredible albums? (my favorite) Have you heard Toronto Pirchei from the 70's?? All songs we sing every davening and every shabbos and you probably don't even realize it.
I dont mind a overly positive review, these websites are becoming famous for them, but this wouldnt even crack the top 30 best choir cds out there.
Do you have a brother in this choir?
Usally a fan but totally shocked by the descriptions you write here.
I personally believe its one of the best choir albums to EVER hit the market!
ReplyDeleteHow about we approach this differently. Instead of repeating yourself, can you list 5 choir cd's that this album is better than. It cane be CD's from any other group. If it's better ten ALL of them, I'm sure you can easily list 5 choir CD's you would agree this cd is better than.
ReplyDeleteWhy is there a need to squabble? Someone's opinion is that this is the best he's heard and someone else's opinion is that this is not. Genug! Everyone is entitled to his opinion! Some people like Shmaltz Herring, others like Pickled or Matjas. Are any of them wrong? Live and let live! Ah freilichen Purim.
ReplyDeleteI see Mr. Choir Fan didnt mention YBC in his comments about the New Yitzy Bald Cd. While I agree everyone is entitled to have their own opinion & its purely personal taste, to lipsync at every live performance like Gerstner & YBC do at every concert, all will agree is unacceptable & genaivas daas for the few fans left that dont realize it.
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