Youth (Matisyahu album)

Youth is an album by American reggae singer Matisyahu, which was released on March 7, 2006. It is his second proper studio release, as Live at Stubb's is a live album. The CD quickly shot to the top of iTunes best sellers list the day it was released (partially because iTunes ran a special promotion for pre-orders).

Youth
Studio album by
Matisyahu
ReleasedMarch 7, 2006
Recorded2005
GenreReggae, reggae fusion, hip hop, alternative rock, Jewish rock
Length46:55
LabelJDub/Epic
ProducerBill Laswell, Ill Factor, and Jimmy Douglass
Matisyahu chronology
Live at Stubb's
(2005)		 Youth
(2006)		 Youth Dub
(2006)
Singles from Youth
  1. "King Without a Crown"
    Released: 2005
  2. "Youth"
    Released: 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[2]
Pitchfork Media(4.9/10)[3]
Rolling Stone[4]
Slant Magazine[5]
Sputnikmusic[6]
Robert Christgau[7]

The first single from the album is "King without a Crown", which also appeared on Matisyahu's previous album, Live at Stubb's. However, a different music video was shot for the Youth version of the song, whereas the version on the Stubb's concert album was accompanied by a concert video. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with over 119,000 copies sold in its first week released.[8] A month later, the album was certified gold by the RIAA.[9] As of September 24, 2008 the album has sold approximately 585,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan.[10] On December 27, 2006, Billboard announced that Youth ranked 3rd overall on the 2006 Reggae album charts, immediately behind Live at Stubb's.[11]

The topic of the album is mostly the support and promotion of youth voice, more explicitly in the eponymous second track. The album, along with its topic, mixes Matisyahu's lyrics, which contain several references to his Jewish beliefs, with a mainstream sound.

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth"3:59
2."Youth"4:19
3."Time of Your Song"4:27
4."Dispatch the Troops"4:05
5."Indestructible"4:10
6."What I'm Fighting For"2:11
7."Jerusalem"4:00
8."WP"3:59
9."Shalom/Saalam"1:06
10."Late Night in Zion"3:14
11."Unique Is My Dove"3:24
12."Ancient Lullaby"4:19
13."King Without a Crown"3:42
Total length:46:48
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Warrior"4:43
15."Spark Seekers"5:03
16."King Without a Crown" (Remix by Mike D.)4:20
Total length:60:54

Personnel
  • Matisyahu – vocals
  • Roots Tonic – music (Aaron Dugan: guitar, Josh Werner: bass and keys, Jonah David: drums)
  • Marlon "Moshe" Sobol – guest musician on "WP"
  • Stan Ipcus – guest musician on "WP"
  • Yusu Youssou – guest musician on "Shalom/Saalam" and "Ancient Lullaby"
  • Bill Laswell – production, engineering
  • Ill Factor & Jimmy Douglass – production on "Time of Your Song", "Indestructible", and "Jerusalem"
  • Bob Musso – engineering
  • James Dellatacoma – assistant engineering
  • Michael Fossenkemper – mastering

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. The Billboard 200 4
U.S. Top Internet Albums 4
U.S. Top Reggae Albums 1

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Entertainment Weekly review
  3. Pitchfork Media review
  4. "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on July 5, 2006. Retrieved May 19, 2006.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. Slant Magazine review
  6. Sputnikmusic review
  7. Consumer Guide: History Lessons
  8. "Juvenile Matisyahu Make Noise On Charts| E! Online". Ca.eonline.com. 2006-03-15. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  9. "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  10. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1043996/matisyahu-preps-ep-eyes-09-for-new-album
  11. http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=musicNews&storyID=2006-12-27T122224Z_01_N27320024_RTRIDST_0_MUSIC-REGGAE-DC.XML&WTmodLoc=EntNewsMusic_C1_%5BFeed%5D-2 Archived February 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Today.reuters.com Retrieved on 05-24-07
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