Benny Friedman, who previously thought he was not connected to the vocal music genre, is now continuing what he began in the days of the Omer last spring and releasing a second album in the WHISPERS OF THE HEART series created with Danny Gross.
For three weeks, Friedman and Gross locked themselves in the studio from morning until night, working on the second vocal album in the series "Whispers of the Heart 2.".
The preliminary preparatory work included formulating a list of songs, filtering and sorting suggestions for renewing vocal versions of Jewish songs, from the ironclad assets of Jewish sung culture in recent generations.
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Finally, 11 songs were chosen, which received a warm and special vocal performance, some of them songs by Benny Friedman and other classics - and all of them express Jewish and rooted simplicity.
""So far I've heard a lot of vocal albums, and many of them are sung in full voice. The singing I did in the studio was intended to be soft and almost a whisper. We wanted to let the ear hear the song, less with singing and musical roles. This lets the song itself speak and less with the accompaniment of the song. Benny's singing is close to a whisper - hence the name of the album, 'Whisher of the Heart'.".
Last year, Friedman also claimed that he does not connect with vocal music.
""I never thought I would make a vocal album," said Friedman. Maybe because of the short shelf life (twice a year), maybe because it's a 'lean' production devoid of instruments and orchestration. "The truth is, vocals didn't really appeal to me. It's not music, I like rich productions and music with many layers.".
That period left many at home due to the virus, and Friedman, who was concerned about the public confined to their homes without the usual music forbidden during the Omer, thought it would be appropriate to jump into the water and produce a different vocal album for the first time in his life. Now, with the return to normality, it is almost a given.
Danny Gross has been making vocal albums for a decade. Every year he releases a vocal disc in the Kumzitz in the Rain series, so this is nothing new to him, the guy knows how to work, and quickly.
The current album features guest appearances by Friedman's friends, Ravi Schwabel and Yosef Newcomb, and the songs are also accompanied by a children's choir.
Among the vocal versions on the album, "Ivyshter" by Tzlil Ve Zemer, "Vahevi'otim" by Toronto Flowers, "Kashoshena" by Avraham Fried, "Bal'avbi" by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil, "Naar Hayyt" by Dvekut, and more.
