JE Weekly

Artists find inspiration in many places. A simple walk in the street can yield a treasure trove: the sight of a mother holding a toddler's hand becomes a song; ivy snaking up a brick wall becomes a poem; a child licking an ice cream cone becomes a painting. For Yacov Young, the newest marvel in the Jewish Music world, inspiration came from the most common of places: his refrigerator door!

"I was heading out of the house to meet with Yossi Green when I stopped to get a cup of soda on the way," Yacov relates. "There were words on a magnetic poster on my refrigerator door, which I must have seen hundreds of times before. For some reason, they caught my attention more than they ever had. I thought, “Hey,
these words are perfect”. I'm working on producing a great album, and here's the encouragement I needed. The message of “If you really try to succeed, there's no
way you'll be unsuccessful, spoke to me loud and clear and I knew I was on the
right track. I also knew these words could inspire others if they are facing hardships in their daily lives. I came to Yossi with these words, he loved the idea and “Yogati”, the title track of my album, was born.

"Yacov Young, a native Torontonian, began singing at age 15. His first foray into the professional Jewish Music scene was in what was called “The Revival of the Toronto Boys Choir”. At age 18, realizing that his talent, his unique lyric tenor, was beyond the ordinary, he began to take voice lessons. He started by studying opera because to become a bona fide singer, one must first study the actual techniques of singing, which can only be learned through extensive classical voice training.

True talent rarely remains undiscovered. At a friend's wedding, Yacov was introduced to Yisroel Lamm, who immediately recognized how gifted this young new star was. He introduced Yacov to the people at Neginah Orchestra, primarily to Shelly Lang, owner and director of Neginah. That was the beginning. Their relationship and mutual respect has grown over the years and led them, finally, to “Yogati” – Yacov's debut album produced by Neginah.

Those who know Shelly are aware that it's quite rare for him to stake his bets on a singer, and decide to produce an album for him. But from the start, he
believed in Yacov and knew that he was the one he wanted to help introduce to the
world on a grand scale. "Yacov has a certain sweetness to his voice, a lyrical tone that you never get bored of. I could see that his was a voice, people would fall in
love with.

"Yacov was looking for songs that would stick to the "yiddishe style," as
found on the classic albums from yesteryear. However, they would also include a
more modern day, up-to-date style of music. Yacov’s objective was to create an
album with a very natural sound, accompanied by an array of musical arrangements
to complement his sweet voice.

"My goal," Yacov explains, "was to come up with lyrics that weren't overused and have a special personal meaning. “Yogati” is a perfect example, but I basically went through hundreds of different word combinations and pesukim for every song that eventually made it onto my album.

" Most of the songs on “Yogati” were composed by the distinguished Yitzchok Rosenthal of “Shalsheles” fame. Even though he had never composed songs for any productions other than his own, he agreed to make an exception for an artist of Yacov's caliber. Working as a team, Yitzchok crafted songs geared towards Yacov's individual voice and wide range. Their collaboration led to the creation of some of the most original material the Jewish Music world has heard in quite a while.

The choirs on the album are arranged by Yisroel Lamm and conducted by Shloime Kaufman. In addition to the main choir, there is a guest appearance by the
Chassidish group, “Hamizamrim,” on Yechadshayhi, the album’s traditional song
with a chassidishe twist.

Child soloist, Avi Mehl, sings a duet with Yacov on the song, Shomra. A tremendously talented singer in his own right, Avi – who performs on "Shalsheles Junior" – does an extraordinary job with the harmonies, bringing out the true beauty of this song.

"When I made the decision to produce and direct this album," Shelly Lang explains, "part of that decision included sparing no expense and focusing on getting the best people in music involved. The rhythm, brass and string sections include some of today’s greatest musicians. There's a first-rate choir and great lead vocals by Yacov; great compositions by Yitzchok Rosenthal, Yossi Green, Pinky Weber and Yisroel Lamm’s beautiful arrangements inhanced my own mixing skills .

All together I can feel comfortable saying that “Yogati” is truly a collaboration of the best in every area of Jewish Music." The last number of years, there has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding this album, with Jewish Music mavens eagerly anticipating its release. Though it has been in the works for some time now, the careful song selection process kept postponing its completion. It's easy to find run-of-themill- songs, but for true gems, one must search. Indeed, that Yacov did!
This album is diverse, with something to appeal to everyone. Geared toward concerts, weddings, or simple listening pleasure, each song is a gem. Get ready to enjoy the next big thing in the Jewish Music scene. And be prepared: you will be hearing a lot about this YOUNG man.

Yacov’s album Yogati is distributed exclusively by Sameach Music. It is available in all Judaica outlets where great
music is sold