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Neshama
Carlebach

Since Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach began to compose and perform in 1958, his music and teachings have uplifted thousands. His deep spirituality and his love of all humanity filled every song he wrote and touched every person he encountered.
Neshama Carlebach is continuing the tradition her father began. Her talent and charisma captivate and endear her to people of all ages, as she performs in cities all over the world. Together with producer/pianist David Morgan and her incredible band, she continues to both deeply move and entertain as she sings her father's incomparable melodies, and original compositions.
What the Critics Say
During a recent gig at Manhattan Showcase club The Bottom Line, Carlebach's dark hued spiritually evocative soprano drew comparisons to the likes of Sheryl Crow and Linda Ronstadt, while the haunting melodies, glistening pop sophistication of her band's arrangements, and religious nature of her material were reminiscent of Amy Grant. Jim Bessman - Billboard Magazine
For audiences around the world, Neshama Carlebach is
not only a great singer in her own right, but the
reincarnation of a legend... Her concerts have the
flavor of a spiritualist revival somewhere between
Woodstock and the Western Wall.
The Globe and Mail, Toronto
Over the course of her five-CD career, Neshama Carlebach has emerged as one of the premier female singers in the genre of jazz/pop Jewish soul music. If that sounds like a big fish in a small pond, it is. But the daughter of the late Jewish mystic and music legend Shlomo Carlebach certainly inherited both the DNA and the pipes to dominate the field. Indeed, one need not even be Jewish to love the music of Neshama Carlebach, though after hearing her sing, one might want to be. The San Francisco Jewish News
There is perhaps no figure in modern Jewish music as
influential and beloved as the late Rabbi Shlomo
Carlebach. This presents his singer-songwriter daughter, Neshama, with a stark choice: embrace his
legacy or shun it. Rather than turn her back on her
musical inheritance, Neshama has chosen to don his
mantle and personalize it. As popular as her father was, his music rarely
ventured beyond the bounds of the Jewish community.
On Journey, without sacrificing any of his music's
integrity or authenticity, Carlebach has found a way
to make it appeal to audiences potentially far greater
than those her father ever dreamed of reaching.
The Jewish Forward
These are songs of the spirit, freewheeling jazz and
rhythms evocative of eastern Europe, the
Mediterranean, and the Middle East . Neshama's got the needed
vocal blend of chanteuse and cantor that both honors
her father's legacy and puts her own stamp on the
proceedings. Singing almost entirely in Hebrew (apart
from switching to English on "Return Again" and
intoning wordlessly on "Niggun Neshama"), Carlebach
the younger embodies the ancient and modern resiliency
of God's chosen with grace and power. Even so, she's
not pointing fingers from any pulpit. Rather, the
strength of these songs lies in their message of
adherence to spirituality in the face of forces that
would seek to shatter it. A work of grace and
tranquility, very much welcome in a world with far too
many axes to grind.
World Music Central
Rabbi Carlebach said 'singing is like praying twice', and his daughter proves this statement with her fifth album. Her voice is heavenly, and even when she's singing in Hebrew, an undeniable feeling of positive love floats out of the speakers. We are a generation of cynics and doubters. For every twelve records you own by morally bankrupt artists, you deserve at least one Neshama Carlebach disc. Splendid
Neshama is a miracle - because she is outside of the realm of the ordinary. She brings more light into the world whenever she sings. Like pulling down a little
bit of heaven, to enjoy so sweetly here on earth. It doesn't matter how observant you are - it doesn't even matter if you are Jewish - what matters is that you open your heart when you listen to her music and her fathers music, and allow yourself to be blessed by it. Jewish Book Mall |
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Neshama Carlebach is an artist of remarkable talent.
Neshama's voice is as lovely as she, exotic and
earthy, yet sophisticated and urbane. Journey serves
as a testament to her enduring love for her father of
blessed memory, affirming as well her rightful stature
among the top echelon of Jewish performers.
Global Rhythm
Neshama Carlebach - "Journey": Neshama Carlebach returns with her
fifth, and most mature album, to date. "Journey" is a striking album to
say the least. The album is comprised of 11 of her father's, Rabbi
Shlomo Carlebach, original songs freshened up a bit by Neshama. It also
contains 2 original compositions, written by Neshama and her pianist
partner, David Morgan. Performed almost entirely in Hebrew it is
tempting to think that those of us who do not speak Hebrew will be lost.
It's true that you will get lost, but not because you don't speak the
language. There is something entirely spiritual about this album; it
simply transcends the language barrier on every level. Although many of
the songs are performed acoustically (but with a full band), it is the
moments of stillness that are the most striking. "HaTov," "Shomer
Yisrael" and "Return Again" (the album's lone English song) depend
solely on Neshama's soft, yet powerful voice, and David Morgan's utterly
brilliant piano work and you can't help but be moved. This album is an
excellent example of the power of music.
CHT Pick - "HaTov" Reviewed by Mark Fisher

Neshama demonstrated that she had much of her father's
charisma, confidence, and musical abilities. Before long the audience was
on its feet dancing. Ari Goldman - The New York Times
(The audience), hungry for a taste of Carlebach were rewarded
with a feast.There can be no doubt that she was born to perform. Ari
Noonan - Heritage Southwest (San Francisco)
When Neshama Carlebach sings, she brings a bit of heaven
down to earth. Lisa Traiger - Washington Jewish Week
Standing in the midst of an almost barren stage, Neshama
Carlebach's powerful presence opens its arms widely, and envelopes her
captivated audience in a warm embrace. Sarah Zelcer - Afterward (Toronto)
Those who came.were not disappointed. Ms. Carlebach reached
into her father's soul of musical magic and gave her audience pure gold.
Susan L. Rosenbluth - Jewish Voice And Opinion
She is a vision of verve and spirit on stage.it is a heavenly
performance that Neshama Carlebach stages, an appropriate and triumphant
tribute to her father. Michael Elkin - Jewish Exponent
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