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Joseph Israel
Gone Are the Days
(New Door/UMe)
First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2007, Volume 14, #3
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
When asked for his opinion about white musicians using reggae rhythms in
their music, Bob Marley famously remarked, "It’s not hard for them to play the
notes, but what’s really hard for them to get is the feel. That’s what’s
missing." While some non-Jamaican bands like the Police and UB40 had very
lucrative careers playing reggae-influenced music, their success undoubtedly was
due, at least in part, to their decision to focus on appropriating the style
rather than the Rastafarian philosophies that often are espoused.
True, reggae did become an internationally loved genre, and more recently, it
has experienced a resurgence, thanks in part to the popularity of crossover
artists like Sean Paul, Gwen Stefani, and the Black-Eyed Peas. Nevertheless,
Rastafarianism has remained primarily a Caribbean phenomenon. Efforts from
non-Caribbean artists that have promoted a Rastafarian lifestyle and ethos often
have faced musical and cultural challenges that have gotten in the way of their
success.
This gets right to the heart of the problems plaguing Joseph Israel’s latest
disc Gone Are the Days. At the outset, there is a lot to admire about the
collection. Israel is a fine singer who manages to capture a Jamaican cadence
and phrasing in his songs without adopting the ridiculous faux Jamaican accent
that often made early efforts from the aforementioned UB40 so cringe-inducing.
Working out of Jamaica’s legendary Tuff Gong studios, Israel has harnessed some
of the best arrangers and players in the business, and the resulting production
could easily be mistaken for a 1970s-era, roots-reggae release. Herein lies the
problem: Though Israel obviously is well versed in reggae’s musical language and
is capable of emulating the style with only a few missteps, the listener feels
that he is imitating an approach without offering anything of himself in the
process.
There is an almost academic quality to the arrangements and the playing, and
although Gone Are the Days features some very tight sections with
beautiful singing and instrumentation, there is nothing new on the set into
which reggae fans can sink their teeth. Making matters worse, Israel’s lyrics
are so full of heavy-handed moral philosophizing that they reduce his songs to
nothing more than diatribes. It’s not that what he sings about is objectionable;
it’s just that, like the arrangements of the tunes, the lyrics are derivative.
Consequently, the listener is unable to obtain any sense of Israel’s own musical
or lyrical ideas. His compositions often sound awkward and cliché ridden, which is a pity because a lot of time and effort obviously have gone
into the creation of this work. Israel, himself, comes off as sincere and
dedicated to his chosen musical path, and one gets the sense that with some
perseverance, he can give birth to the good album that lies within his reach.
In order to get a perspective on what Israel is up against, however, it’s
perhaps useful to remember that jazz and blues once were the exclusive provinces
of black musicians. It took years for these styles to blend with, hold influence
over, and be influenced by popular culture before they became part of the
musical mainstream’s landscape. Now, these two styles have developed a broader
language as well as a set of approaches that has made them fair game for any
artist who wants to play with either idiom. In this sense, Israel is on the
cutting edge of interpreting a regional musical style in a larger cultural
context. He would do well to look at artists like Bill Laswell and Matisyahu,
both of whom successfully have incorporated reggae styles into their own overall
vision without diluting their output. Israel needs to learn to trust his own
muse, to construct songs that reflect his own experience and interpretation of
the Rastafarian lifestyle, and to develop the confidence not to fall back on
stock phrases and approaches. When this happens and when he learns to construct
melodies that reflect his own musical ideas, Israel will be a force with which
to be reckoned. 
Gone Are the Days is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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