The Idan Raichel Project (album)

The Idan Raichel Project is the self-titled debut album by Idan Raichel. Raichel composed and arranged many of the tracks, performs vocals and plays the keyboard, while collaborating with other vocalists and musicians. Hit singles include Boi (בואי / "Come"), Im Telech (אם תלך / "If you go") and M'dab'rim B'sheket (מדברים בשקט / "Speaking Quietly").

While the majority of Raichel's songs are in Hebrew, a few are entirely in Amharic, while others include small passages in Amharic, by male and female voices, setting traditional-sounding tunes to modern music. Love-songs predominate in his Hebrew lyrics, including Hinech Yafah (הינך יפה / "Thou art Fair") based on the Song of Songs, while the opening track also reaches into the depths of Jewish liturgy, with B'rachot L'shanah Chadashah (ברכות לשנה חדשה / "Blessings for a new year") sampling voices reciting traditional Jewish blessings.

Following the popularity of the Project, demand for live shows increased. Raichel was booked to perform at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center. Given the number of musicians who participated in the recordings, it would have been impossible to have them all appear on stage, so Raichel selected seven members who were versatile and strong individual artists in their own right. This live show became symbolic of the album, as it brought together a group of people of different backgrounds but of equal standing.

Success of the Project

The Idan Raichel Project studio album was certified 3x platinum, selling over 120,000 copies in Israel. In November 2005, the Project headlined at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and gave two well-received shows at the Apollo Theater in Manhattan. While in New York City, Idan and members of the Project visited a number of schools and churches in Harlem.

Track listing

1. Blessing for the New Year (3:31) ברכות לשנה החדשה
2. Boee (4:25) בואי
3. Im Telech (2:48) אם תלך
4. Ayal-Ayale (3:35)
5. Hinach Yafa (4:53) הנך יפה
6. Brong Faya (4:05)
7. Medabrim Besheket (3:54) מדברים בשקט
8. Shoshanim Atzuvot (2:35) שושנים עצובות
9. Tigest (4:37) טיגסט
10. Mimi's Song (2:32) השיר של מימי
11. Et Lihyot, Et Lamut (3:52) עת לחיות, עת למות
12. Boee (Radio) (4:07) בואי (רדיו)

References