Yoav

YOAV
"CHARMED & STRANGE"
(Verve Forecast, 2008)


"Adore Adore"


Just a guy and his acoustic guitar. Sounds kind-of boring, right? Well, just take a listen to this guy. With only a little bit of overdubbing, Israeli/South African musician Yoav has managed to create an amazing atmosphere of sound with just his hands -- whether they're plucking the guitar strings for melody or tapping on the guitar body to create percussion -- and his voice.

Yoav's music is almost uncategorizable, because most of the time he sounds like pop, R&B, Latin, world music, and soul, all stirring around at once in a gentle whirlwind. The phrase, "There's no one else out there like him," is tossed out there far too often when an up-and-coming musician appears on the scene, but with Yoav it's completely and totally true.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most stunningly unique albums I've heard in years. If you don't run out (or jump online) and get this CD after listening to the tracks "Wake Up" and "Sometimes...", then -- well, maybe you just don't get him ... which I suppose I shouldn't hold against you, because this is the kind of album that I wouldn't have gotten as recently as five or six years ago.

Oh, and read his biography here (in the form of a PDF file) ... just as fascinating as the guy's music.