Chana Rothman: We Can Rise

Judy Collins meets Bob Marley meets Edie Brickell.

By Nahteboy | 12/11/2007 | Filed under Music Pop

I opened a package up to find a gatefold CD that had a multi-colored and patterned psychedelic array of waves and a young Jewish woman named Chana Rothman on the cover. My first thought was that this disc, We Can Rise, would be folk music collection akin to the Flower Child music of the late ‘60s.

I was half right. The 10-song recording has elements of Folk while singing about peace, love and religion. Chana plays a nice acoustic guitar as well as slide guitar and flute. She’s accompanied by other guitars, a varied collection of drums and percussion, bass, mandolin and violin. Her vocals are nice and smooth as she bounces back and forth between English and Hebrew. Especially the pleasant sounds of her voice, filled with emotion as she sings “Lay Down Your Swords.”

Her music is a blend, though, of the Folk music combined with some Reggae and a hint of Pop that makes her sound a bit like Edie Brickell. Edie with Judy Collins and Bob Marley? A very interesting mix.

The interior booklet is filled with photos and lyrics, including the Jewish translations. The disc has indie written all over it, but it won’t surprise me to see Chana having an international hit once she has another album or two under her belt.

- popsyndicate.com
http://www.popsyndicate.com/images/rating-40.jpg4