REGGAE

Latest CD releases reviewed

MATISYAHU Live at Stubb's Epic ***

There are probably very few strict Hasidic Jews who have ever considered a career as a reggae star, so Pennsylvania-born Matthew "Matisyahu" Miller was always going to stand out regardless. A striking, strapping six-footer, Matisyahu developed a voice and a sound that blended Marley with Michael Franti and Common around about the same time as he truly fell into step with the strict discipline of his Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue. Given reggae's fondness for religious lyrical content, it's a suitable match, even if it doesn't appear so at first glance. While the music rarely deviates too far from common-or-garden head-nodding roots reggae, Matisyahu subtly blends Yiddish lyrics and Hasidic teachings into his flow as he goes along, with tracks such as Lord Raise Me Up pulling it all together smartly. As it's a live album, it's more a chance for Matisyahu to show off his scats and beatboxing prowess than articulate his views on various thorny issues. www.matisyahu.org

Jim Carroll