Light

On Matisyahu's bold new album, Light the 29-year-old proves that there's much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. Light is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall ("Smash Lies") and ska-inflected New Wave ("We Will Walk") to laidback pop-rock ("So Hi So Lo") and acoustic folk-soul ("I Will Be the Light"). While reggae is far from absent here - see the old-school toasting in "Motivate" - Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory.