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Even Sh'siyah - News & Reviews

Jerusalem Post

Feb.6, 2006
by Ben Jacobson

EVEN SH'SIYAH Wake Up

Chicago's Even Sh'siyah band has been playing classic rock-style Jewish jams for about 15 years now, which places them in the generation of musicians who preceded the current Jewish music boom.

The band shares duties on lead vocals and composing, with bassist David Margulis and guitarist Ely Cooper having written most of the melodies on Wake Up, their third album.

Wake Up is mostly comprised of Jewish classical texts set to the tunes of Seventies guitar rock flavors. The songwriting here is not mind-blowing but it's certainly stirring. Yet it's the good ol' rock and roll stance that makes the album memorable. The strongest songs are "Falling By the Wayside" and "Redemption," two low-tempo, melodic tunes that each close out a half of the disc. "Shakla V'tarya" is a killer hippie funk instrumental, while "Lishuas'cha" follows an unlikely, laid-back melody progression.

In addition, many of the songs sound like tributes to the pantheon of Seventies rock, with specific influences often clearly discernable. Even Sh'siyah's refreshing "Mi Hu Zeh" features Allmans-style double lead noodling guitars, while the title track's three-part harmonies evoke the ballads of Moody Blues. Later, "Take This Rock to Heart of Stone"'s harmonica riffs, punchy bassline and licking lead guitar sound more than a little like early Tom Petty.

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