When you first listen to Levi Robin‘s tender, breathy vocals and hypnotic fingerpicking, what comes to mind is likely Iron & Wine or Bob Dylan. But if you close your eyes and listen to the lyrics, you might be surprised.
Instead of odes to long-haired beauties and urban chaos, Robin, a 21-year-old Lubavitcher Hasidic folksinger, delivers tried-and-true paeans of spiritual gratitude and God-longing.
One song, the upbeat “No Worries,” reads like something out of a Rebbe Nachman tale, with the “bird who sings a song of a lost kingdom.” Others are sprinkled with mentions of lion’s dens, longings for a promised land, and a call to “open your arms, release the bound”—a line straight out of the morning prayers.
Is acoustic folk ready for a Hasidic takeover? Can a bearded man with sidelocks and a yarmulke rise to the top of the Billboard charts? Sounds unlikely, but it’s certainly happened before.
___
Watch Robin perform with Matisyahu:
____
Listen to Robin’s single, “No Worries:”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
