A desire to get some new music to his fans quickly is what led Matisyahu to create the "Shattered" EP, which comes out Oct. 21, in advance of his third studio album, "Light," which is due in early 2009 via Epic.
"I didn't put out any new music in three years," Matisyahu says, "so I wanted to tour this fall and give fans some new music to listen to. We sort of decided to split it up and put the EP out first. This way at least people have something to listen to until the record comes out."
The Hasidic artist says that at least three of the four songs on "Shattered" will also appear on "Light;" he's on the fence about a track called "Two Child One Drop," which he worked on with Sly & Robbie in Jamaica.
Matisyahu spent the past year working on "Light" -- the follow-up to 2006's Grammy Award-nominated "Youth" -- with producer David Kahne, crafting 16 songs with him and other collaborators such as Ooah from Los Angeles band Glitch Mob, Stephen McGregor (son of reggae great Freddie McGregor) and the Fishbone rhythm section of Phillip "Fish" Fisher and Norwood Fisher.
"On this record I just sort of got together the people I respect the most," Matisyahu says, "not necessarily the biggest names in music but just the people I respect, no matter who they are, and just said, 'Let's make some songs together' and not be concerned with 'Is it reggae music? Is it hardcore enough? Is it this or that?' but just focus on the integrity of the music."
With Kahne's encouragement, Matisyahu says that he also "floated back and forth" across a variety of vocal approaches throughout "Light," expanding beyond "that sort of reggae twang" he'd used before.
Fans will get to hear the results on a fall tour that begins tomorrow (Oct. 18) in Milwaukee. And he'll be playing "Light" for fans who want to stick around after the shows and will come out to meet them and talk about the new material.
"I didn't put out any new music in three years," Matisyahu says, "so I wanted to tour this fall and give fans some new music to listen to. We sort of decided to split it up and put the EP out first. This way at least people have something to listen to until the record comes out."
The Hasidic artist says that at least three of the four songs on "Shattered" will also appear on "Light;" he's on the fence about a track called "Two Child One Drop," which he worked on with Sly & Robbie in Jamaica.
Matisyahu spent the past year working on "Light" -- the follow-up to 2006's Grammy Award-nominated "Youth" -- with producer David Kahne, crafting 16 songs with him and other collaborators such as Ooah from Los Angeles band Glitch Mob, Stephen McGregor (son of reggae great Freddie McGregor) and the Fishbone rhythm section of Phillip "Fish" Fisher and Norwood Fisher.
"On this record I just sort of got together the people I respect the most," Matisyahu says, "not necessarily the biggest names in music but just the people I respect, no matter who they are, and just said, 'Let's make some songs together' and not be concerned with 'Is it reggae music? Is it hardcore enough? Is it this or that?' but just focus on the integrity of the music."
With Kahne's encouragement, Matisyahu says that he also "floated back and forth" across a variety of vocal approaches throughout "Light," expanding beyond "that sort of reggae twang" he'd used before.
Fans will get to hear the results on a fall tour that begins tomorrow (Oct. 18) in Milwaukee. And he'll be playing "Light" for fans who want to stick around after the shows and will come out to meet them and talk about the new material.
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