How Good {Review & Giveaway}

I'm a big fan of Craig Taubman. Not just because I think he's a cool guy, but because I really like a lot of his music and also the cool projects he gets involved in, like the Jewels of Elul. (P.S. on his website right now, there's a free download of the month and it's one of my favorite of Craig's songs, so go check that out.)

So when I was given a chance to review his new CD, of course I said yes!

The new CD is called "How Good" and it was written as a companion CD to a new siddur from Behrman House. (I did not receive the siddur for review, but I ordered one and I'll let ya know what I think when it arrives. The siddur is billed for children ages 5-10 and their parents, which I tried to think about as I listened to the CD, too.)

The CD jacket bills itself as "14 original melodies" for the new siddur. This means that (I think) some of them are new versions of some of Craig's familiar standbys. I really like the new additions to Adonai S'fatai - an English verse that helps to illuminate the meaning and purpose of this line of prayer. (I'm not sure I'll be able to use the new part effectively in a service, but it's nice for learning and singing along in the car.) I also liked Rise Up and Acceptable...and my husband and I were groovin' along to Out of Zion, which had a great beat! Craig's earlier Romemu has become pretty standard synagogue fare, but I really liked the new version on this CD!

I didn't love every track, but it had enough gems to keep me listening all the way through. Plus, I do think that some of Craig's music is perfect for tefillah (services) when adapted - sometimes I'll take out the English parts and just do the Hebrew, or just the chorus. But for listening, most of it was really nice.

Overall, I would recommend this CD as a great addition to any Jewish listening library!


I'm giving it away...would you like to have this CD for your very own? Leave me a comment, I'll choose one lucky reader by random drawing to win it. I'll post the winner on Friday...so you have until then to leave me a comment and tell your friends!