Albums

Yoav - Charmed & Strange

Stephen Greenwood 11/01/2008

Rating: 2/5

The record has been hyped as a cocktail of Beck, Portishead and Justin Timberlake all created by one man and his guitar. The fact is that there is some truth in this. Parts of the backing tracks suck you in, only for the vocals to spit you back out. His voice is just too nice and radio friendly, lacking in anger or a sinister side that relieves the songs of any addictive qualities.

The man is well travelled having being born in Israel before spending a large part of his life in South Africa, followed by stints in London and New York. It was during his stay in the Big Apple that Yoav developed his technique on the guitar after discovering what the clubbing world had to offer. He wanted to base his songs around a beat and thought he would do this by utilizing every inch of the instrument. He not only strums and picks the strings, but taps and bangs away at the body to create a whole spectrum of sounds. I am sure that this transfers into a magical site on stage as there are moments that make it seem impossible that this is the work of just one man.

Overall the album is disappointing. At no point did it manage to stir-up the rancid rage that I feel towards Mika, but I am also not in a hurry to race down the pub and declare my undying love for the new Messiah.