Fringe of Blue

One-man Jewish-world-folk-pop act Rebbe Soul (Bruce Burger) gets into the groove and back to his roots with this album. Fringe goes further away from classic Western rock and deeper into Eastern and Hebrew music than Rebbe Soul (Burger's self-titled first album) ever did. He offers up new renditions of ancient Hebrew melodies ("Heenay Ma' Tov") and bluesy versions of Israeli standards ("Yerushalayim Shel Zahav," "Hatikvah"). Some of them are inspired by prayers — "Heenay Ma' Tov" is straight out of the Friday night Sabbath ceremony — but others are simply folk melodies or popular songs. In spite of the almost completely Hebrew lyrics and the quasi-spiritual subject matter, this album has probably been the most widely listened to by non-practicing Jews and non-Jews. It has also received by far the most attention from the media and the entertainment industry; "Harachaman (Prayer for Peace") was featured on the compilation album Prayer: A Multicultural Journey of Spirit, while "Avinu" received kudos from Billboard Magazine, among other publications. Both songs are beautifully done. Although they are nearly opposite in mood, they exemplify the appeal of the artist and the album; the blend of modern instrumentation and age-old music is flawless. ~ L. Katz, Rovi