Singer-songwriter Matisyahu has been on a journey inward for more than a decade. The journey has been private and public. The journey has at times been explicitly external, even while being driven by internal change. Now, nearly thirteen years after the release of his first studio record, Matisyahu and his band have done something unmatched in his past repertoire; they have crafted that journey into a musically thematic eight-song-movement. Matisyahu talked about the album: “This is the first album I’ve made that is produced by myself and the band with out any outside forces involved. It’s my baby. No compromises, full artistic integrity.” “Emunah is nothing more than an understanding that God runs the world and is part of the world in every way and in every dimension. Bitachon is a trust or reliance in God (or friends, family, etc.) for your own personal journey through this world. Someone can intellectually understand or emotionally have faith that the world is beyond the self, but still have no trust that world cares at all about his own personal life and journey. I.e. One can have emunah but no bitachon.” “Artist/designer Joey Bayer created the cover art and comic to follow based on fantasy versions of the band members and myself. At times during shows I’ve found myself lost in trance where the band becomes a unit of spiritual warriors fighting to free the souls of the youth. We’ve created all of the album art around this fantasy
