Ninet Tayeb - "קמתי לרקוד" ("I Got Up To Dance")
A solid and eclectic collection from Israel's Rock Princess
Ninet Tayeb is an Israeli1 rock artist and actress who splits her time between Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. She is, by all accounts, a household name in Israel, and has found some niche popularity Stateside, as well. קמתי לרקוד (I Got Up to Dance) is her 6th studio album, and her first since 2017’s Paper Parachute.2
Tayeb, now 40, has always utilized a guitar-forward blend of Alt and Progressive Rock, infused with styles and sounds from the Middle East (most specifically, her native Israel) as well as more Western (US and UK) Pop and Rock elements. I Got Up to Dance is, however, her most ambitious and polished effort yet. What results is an eclectic album with a large range of musical approaches and sounds, with every track feeling very unique, but also fitting into the larger whole. There are some wildly creative riffs and rhythms here.
And all of it sewn together into a nice little package by Tayeb’s rich, sultry, gravelly vocals.
There’s a balanced blend of upbeat rockers and slower, sadder songs. Unfortunately, I’ve only found a full translation of the title track thus far; and even if I wanted to use Google Translate, I haven’t even found every track in Hebrew yet.
However, Genius has translated/transliterated track titles:
Most of the power to be found on I Got Up to Dance is within the first five tracks, and then with the closing track, “Ani Holechet Rahok”. There are no bad tracks on the album, but I do believe that the two weakest efforts are the two Features:
Track 6, “Horeget”, features Assaf Amdursky and Garden CIty Movement, and is just wildly repetitive through the chorus;
Track 8, “Kacha Ze”, features Israeli rapper Tuna, and his style doesn’t feel like it meshes all that well with Tayeb’s.
The best track is, easily, “Alice”, with its simple, but clever rhythmic callback which is established right at the start of the track with the “Knock, knock”. Even as the track evolves (significantly) over the course of its four-and-a-half minutes, the ‘knock-knock’ rhythm keeps its composition tightly wrapped.
Many other songs include this sort of clever rhythmic or melodic signature, and it makes the album largely just a fun ride — regardless of how well you know Hebrew.3
I have previously listened through several of Tayeb’s older albums, and I do believe that I Got Up to Dance is her best release to date. If you’re looking for some innovative Rock or you just like music from elsewhere in the world, give this one a listen.
Rating: Blue
I must acknowledge here that the political situation in Israel has drastically shifted since this album launched earlier this summer. I have not found any concerning opinions voiced by Tayeb on the situation; historically, her position seems to be that of welcoming peace and love. She has previously clashed with members of, and spoken out against policies of, Netanyahu’s Likud Party.
Paper Parachute was Tayeb’s second album in English.
And I know exactly “Shalom”…. Did I say that right?