| Possessed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Label | Xenophile[1] | |||
| Producer | Robert Musso | |||
| The Klezmatics chronology | ||||
| ||||
Possessed is an album by the American klezmer group the Klezmatics, released in 1997.[2][3]
Production
The album was produced by Robert Musso.[4] "Moroccan Game" is an instrumental.[5]
The second half contains the band's score to Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds.[6] Kushner also penned the liner notes.[7]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Chicago Tribune | [9] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[10] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [6] |
| Windsor Star | A[11] |
Robert Christgau opined that "this is a vision band with a genre, not a genre band with a vision."[10] The Advocate wrote that "there's a heaviness to the Klezmatics that's anathema to ordinary klezmer music, which by its very nature and function is escapist, even as it celebrates cultural cohesion."[12]
The Windsor Star stated that "the clarinet wails, the fiddle and horns sing, the beat is incessant, and the Yiddish vocals transcend the language barrier."[11] The Chicago Tribune thought that "Alicia Svigals' violin is a revelation, and Lorin Sklamberg's vocals—which can be as sublime as a cantor's or as sly as a drunk's—evoke the Jewish diaspora in both divine and uniquely American terms."[9]
AllMusic wrote that "while there is plenty of their familiar frenzied spiritual party music, there is also some goregeously evocative minor-key mysticism."[8]
Track listing
- Shprayz Ikh Mir
- Kolomeyke
- Moroccan Game
- An Undoing World
- Mizmor Shir Lehanef (Reefer Song)
- Shvartz Un Vays (Black and White)
- Lomir Heybn Dem Bekher
- Sirba Matey Matey
- Mipney Ma
- Beggars' Dance
- Shnaps-Nign
- Interlude
- Dybbuk Shers
- Fradde's Song
- Der Shvatser Mi Adir (The Black Benediction)
- Hinokh Yafo
- Mipney Ma (reprise)
References
- ^ Moed, Andrea (July 1997). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly (47): 10.
- ^ Ethnic American Literature: Comparing Chicano, Jewish, and African American ... - Dean J. Franco - Google Books
- ^ Goodman, Matthew (7 Mar 1997). "London's Bridges: Giving Tradition a New Twist". The Forward. p. 1.
- ^ Verna, Paul (May 10, 1997). "Possessed". Billboard. 109 (19): 61.
- ^ "High Notes: Three new albums play up the 'acoustic Judaism' trend". Baltimore Jewish Times. No. 5. Dec 5, 1997. p. L17.
- ^ a b The New Rolling Stone Album Guide - Google Books
- ^ Waldman, Amy (3 Oct 1997). "Klezmatics add life to tradition". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 7.
- ^ a b The Klezmatics Possessed Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic
- ^ a b Obejas, Achy (9 Jan 1998). "KLEZMATICS". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 42.
- ^ a b Robert Christgau: CG: The Klezmatics
- ^ a b "CD REVIEWS". Windsor Star. 24 July 1997. p. C21.
- ^ Walters, Barry (Jun 10, 1997). "Gay Jewish roots". The Advocate (735): 65–66.