8th Day Tops iTunes Music Chart

By COLlive reporter

The new hit album from Shmuel and Bentzy Marcus, the rocking Chassidic duo who lead the 8th Day Band, has made it to number 1 on iTunes world music chart.

“Something is different about this album,” says Bentzy Marcus, who is also a producer. “We’ve gotten requests from radio stations across the US to play our track “Miracle of Light” during Chanukah! That was a first for us…”

He said their Chassidic music has made it all the way to WCBE in Columbus, Ohio and KFMG Des Moines, Iowa over Chanukah!

It is one of the many hits on the new album. The song “My Shtetl is Calling” featured a music video with their younger brother Eli Marcus and their cousin Benny Friedman and uncle Avraham Fried.

The music video for the song, produced to celebrate COLlive.com’s 10th anniversary, has amassed 309,558 views on YouTube within over a month, leading it to be one of the quickest views-garnering Jewish music clips. It was produced by Danny Finkelman.

VIDEO: 8th Day – “My Shtetl’s Calling”

“Bring It Home” is the opening track that features 8th Day’s unique style of Hebrew English poetry and was ranked number 1 requested song on the Al Gordon Radio Program.

Critics seem to agree. “I have been waiting for an album like this since Hooleh!” says radio host Yossi Zweig. “It seems that every time 8th Day gives you a hit song like “Ya’alili,” “Mazal Tov” (T.T.D.F.) or “Hooleh!,” people think it’s easy for them to knock out an album full of mega hits and meaningful messages.”

Zweig, who spends his time following the latest trends in Jewish music, sees something unique in 8th Day, “one of the only groups in Jewish music today that not only composes their own tunes, but that also writes, records and arranges their own material,” he says.

“How do they keep their sound fresh and modern without compromising what Jewish music IS? How to be lyrically creative and create songs like none before them? How to tell a story is a way that any age group listening can understand? That is part of what makes people connect and fall in love with 8th day and their music over the last 10 plus years,” says Zweig.

The Marcus’ new album “Stronger Closer” features a full range of original songs that cater to an even broader range of listeners. Hebrew, Yiddish, English, it’s all in there.

“Everything they do is fun, fresh and deep. You need to listen carefully to try to hear everything that’s being put in to these songs. I love it,” Benny Friedman commented.

AUDIO: 8th Day – “Stronger Closer” [Official Album Sampler]

The album is sold in stores everywhere and on www.my8thDay.com and mostlymusic.com