"there are so many beautiful songs, and each one has its moment"
Today’s vocalists and composers face the tough challenges of a crowded and fickle industry and demanding audiences who are quick to replace favorite singers and songs. Popular wedding and kumzitz singer Dudi Knopfler isn’t worried though — with his album Mein Chulem (Hachalom Sheli) he’s more than happy to connect with whoever wants to listen.
A lot of the newer chassidish material is slow and heartwarming, which almost everyone appreciates. “Vehi Noam” and “Nafshi,” from Motti Steinmetz, are great examples of this timeless style.
I don’t have to wish — the old songs are coming back in. At a chasunah, even in the second dance, we’re alternating between new hits and old songs. Attention spans are very short today, so although new songs are listened to 100 times, the young people are bored of them within a month. I’ll sing an up-to-the-minute song, then perhaps “Zachor” from Miami Boys, another current hit, then Shwekey’s “Shomati” — and don’t forget that for the younger generation, old is new.
I start the second dance with the most popular song of the moment — and that obviously changes every few weeks or so. Right now it’s “Simu Lev El Haneshama,”sung by Shmueli Ungar on the new star-studded album of Moshe Cheskie Weisz’s compositions, Lev El Haneshama.
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