Search - Various Artists: Produced by Craig Taubman :: The Hanukkah Lounge

Modern Hanukah Music

Steven Scott Harman | Los Angeles, CA USA | 01/30/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had just watched a Hanukah special on Public Television when they advertised a Hanukah CD by Craig Taubman. While browsing here on Amazon, I saw another CD by Mr. Taubman. Hanukah songs done in a more modern way. While my Mother, the traditionalist did not care for it, myself and some of my non-jewish friends who had no idea what they were listening to liked it. I find that the music on the CD can also be used for mood music. Going to try it on my next party. If you are looking for the traditional Hanukah music, this is not the CD. But if you want a different spin on the Hanukah songs you learned and sang, then this is the CD to buy."

Lounge Drek from the straosphere

Charles H. Levenson | new jersey | 11/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"So,just because some entreprenurial musicians combine a few traditionalist jewish tunes with what they think is a"lounge"sound does not make this lounge,at least not in the normal,Mel Torme sense of the word,and not even in any modern,experimental sense either...A lot of what is on here sounds like a combination between amateur antics and some old electronica,and MOST of it sounds as if it were hot-wired together on someone's home computer...To have,say,a yiddish crooner doing a swing version of Havah Nagilah would make this"lounge"..to have,instead,a disembodied voice mumbling a few yiddish phrases over an electronic drone ,which is what one gets on a few of the tracks here makes this a sort of poor landsman's "new age"sampler...One can only marvel at the notion that this drek is billed as "lounge"..It is as if the people responsible for this album wanted to tap into the "lounge"craze amongst the young and decided that making thier album ethnic,jewish ethnic,might not only do so,but might also garner a few traditionalists as well...A lot of what is on here sounds suspiciously like "Trance" music,a style that is quite popular in Israel,but Trance is NOT "Lounge"...If you want to be experimental,then maybe buying this album would not be a disappointment,but if you want real lounge,and you buy this album,just remember that I told you so beforehand that what you will get won't be real lounge...."

Sorority Party

Lee Katz | Chicago, IL | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am involved in a Jewish Sorority at my school, and we are having a huge Hanukkah party for the entire campus. We just found this CD, and we are so excited to use it for our event. The president of the sorority just ordered 50 copies to use as door prizes. Great album. Happy Hanukkah!!!!"