Benny Friedman is Back From the Cold (Sort of)

By COLlive reporter

The last time Benny Friedman released an album of original songs, fans had never heard of a “coronavirus,” “AI” was a nickname for a basketball player, and England was still part of the EU.

Benny has released plenty of music throughout those six years, including original singles, sefira albums, and more. He also performed all around the globe, including his Am Yisrael Chai Tour, but fans were not satisfied. An original album was the demand that just would not go away.

On Wednesday, Benny released “Be Gebentched,” a 13-song original album produced by Doni Gross, described as bursting with the iconic funky style that fans have come to love since his first album.

Each song carries a different message for the world today, with one coming from the Rambam, another from the Gemara, and another that goes “Boogie Woogie…” What they all share is an authentic yiddishe delivery that carries it straight into the heart.

In the promotional video for the album, Benny is seen as a reclusive older man working on his music in the cold woods.

Benny spoke to COLlive.com about it and the new album.

Hi Benny, to make sure: your beard isn’t white yet. Right?

Depends on when you are reading this. Right now it’s still mostly not white, but if you’re coming back and reading this in a few years, the answer is probably very different!

What reactions have you been getting to the promo clip?

The number one reaction is that it’s the best promo video that anyone has ever seen. And who am I to argue?

So, where have you been, and what took so long to release an original album?

We’ve been working on this project very diligently for a long time. But every time a Yom Tov would come along, like Chanukah or Purim, we would have to pause and make something lekovid the Yom Tov. So we kept getting distracted.

How would you compare this album to your previous ones?

The others I did when I was a lot younger.

What has changed in the Jewish music scene since your first album?

Well, now that I’m older, the music is so loud!

There are fewer albums today and more EPs. What are your thoughts on that?

It’s an interesting conversation. I’m not sure what’s the correct approach, but people are just trying different things to see what works. It’s a brave new world out there!

Which song/s on the album do you hope people will pay attention to?

I hope everyone gives each song at least a minute or two, and that they find the song or songs that they connect with. There’s a lot of different styles here, so hopefully there’s something for everyone.

Was AI used in crafting this new album and how?

Not using AI today is like having a musical genius in your studio but not asking him for his opinion! We most certainly ran some of these songs through the AI machine to hear the ideas it came back with. Highly recommended.

So you see AI as a positive development?

Everything Hashem created was only created for His honor. AI is a tool that can be great, and we need to figure out the best ways to harness its greatness for good things!

Be Gebentched, and go stream the album wherever you get your music https://album.link/BeGebentched

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