First off: don't complain that you don't speak Hebrew. Shir Appeal is tired of hearing it, and so is everyone else. Catering only to fluent speakers of Hebrew would give the group a rather small market - and they're not that dumb. The group knows that not many people can understand Hebrew (especially when it's being sung), and the album presents itself accordingly - even with the title. Not only does What Are You Saying... include songs that are entirely in English, but it also works perfectly well as a purely musical album.
And don't write the album off as purely religious, either. In fact, a good deal of the songs are straight from the canon of Israeli rock 'n roll and pop. Take "Nanua" - upon looking at the translated English lyrics conveniently placed in the lyric booklet (thanks, Shir Appeal), you'll find a tale of sweet seduction. This guy wants his love to fold laundry with him, and tell him all the little things about her day. And instead of the possibly trite English version, you're treated to a layered, beautifully-sung Hebrew song.
Admittedly, though, there are more religious themes here than on, say, Matchbox 20's latest release. Even if you don't like preachy music, though, What Are You Saying... won't offend - chances are you can't understand the words anyway. Using a different language, though - especially one as recognizable as Hebrew - gives Shir Appeal a distinct sound that sets it apart from the multitude of other a cappella groups on campus. This is especially important now, when What Are You Saying... is in a bit of a bookstore-showdown with the recent release of the Jackson Jills' Snapshot and the Amalgamates' Juice.
Maybe the group knows it, too. Shir Appeal uses its unique sound without apology: all the songs are similarly enjoyable. Each is quite pretty, and the tracks flow together to make a complete, smooth sound that's not just easy on the ears - it's truly beautiful. This is music that can fade away into the background, but also stands up to a closer listen. However, the group's distinctive sound serves as both a strength and a weakness. This same consistent level and mood also makes the songs themselves indistinct. Whether this is due to the songs that Shir Appeal selects or the way they're arranged and sung isn't clear, but it's a distinct theme on the album. It's easy to breeze through the first three tracks without even looking up to see them change.
Of course, the group isn't planning to make the top ten on 98.5 FM, so it's not as though the songs need to be "radio-friendly." If you have to buy an album, it might as well be one that you can listen to all the way through without pausing even once to skip a track. Besides, you do tend to snap back to attention when the group lapses into one of its four English numbers. With selections as diverse as the '60s rock hit "Turn Turn Turn" by the Byrds and Sting's "Rock Steady" from 1987, Shir Appeal is aiming at a fairly wide target. It's a bit of a shame that it's so much easier to latch onto music that's in your native language, but it's hard to sing along in a foreign tongue.
As effective and appropriate as these American musical numbers are - "Turn Turn Turn" being especially clever in that its lyrics are based on the Book of Ecclesiastes - this is not where the group's strength lies. The Hebrew numbers are more carefully arranged, including the hummable opener "Boh" and the complementing male-female solos in "Tutim." While the shots down to the English-speaking denomination are appreciated, redoing rock classics and pop music is more the forte of the Mates, Jills, and Beelzebubs. If you're going to sing Jewish a cappella, you don't have to apologize for it. Then again, it's not as though these selections stick out at all - the four English tracks are some of the most spiritual on the album.
So again: don't write Shir Appeal off. It's just music like any other. Give What Are You Saying... a shot for some high-minded dorm room culture. People listen to Mexican rap and German techno... and this is far prettier than either of those.
