Idan Raichel, a global icon and one of the most popular and beloved artists in the history of Israeli music, releases new album. "And If You Will Come to Me" reflects the next phase in a personal journey that began nearly three years ago when he put his 14-piece supergroup The Idan Raichel Project on hiatus and began performing more intimate solo and small ensemble concerts. Along with guest musicians from Japan, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Cuba and India, And If You Will Come to Me features duets with African guitar wizard Bombino, Cuban GRAMMY nominee Danay Suarez, Israeli stars Berry Sakharof and Zehava Ben, and a special new studio track with the reunited Idan Raichel Project.
The album's title track ("Ve'Eem Tavo'ee Elay" in Hebrew) has already become one of Idan's biggest hits ever in Israel, with nearly 18 million streams on YouTube alone, and the singles from the album have racked up a total of 35 million YouTube plays.
The Idan Raichel Project burst onto the Israeli music scene in 2003 with the beguiling hit single "Bo'ee," which incorporated Ethiopian elements and marked the introduction of one of Israel's most successful groups. The Idan Raichel Project went on to perform on some of the world's biggest stages, bringing their border-breaking music of diversity, collaboration and hope to enraptured audiences across the globe.
He spent the few years exploring, releasing his first solo album as well as a live piano concert recording. During his travels, Idan continued to produce new music, but with a whole new approach. "I wanted to go back to the spontaneous way of recording that I started with. So, I just took a laptop with me and I started to record songs that I love. It didn't matter to me what genre these songs were, I just wanted to record with friends and people I met along the way. I tried different studios and different producers, releasing singles as they were finished, with no overarching album concept. I wanted to enjoy recording again, and to wake up in the morning and to do what I love." The songs on And If You Will Come to Me are the product of these explorations.
The new album opens with "Galgal Mistovev (Spinning Wheel)" one of the first songs he recorded on his journey. The song features musicians that Idan met in Japan and Bulgaria, as well as in Israel. The "spinning wheel" of the title refers to the up and down of emotions we feel in life and reflect the sentiment that started the whole album process. The album's title track, "Ve'Eem Tavo'ee Elay (And If You Will Come To Me)," was originally released as a single in Israel in February 2018. It instantly became one of the biggest hits of Idan's career.
The new album also features collaborations with rising stars of the global music scene. Nigerien guitarist Bombino, who has been dubbed the "Jimi Hendrix of the Sahara" by music critics worldwide, provides a rocking, trance-inducing guitar jam on the song "Imidiwanine (My Friends)." Latin GRAMMY nominee Danay Suarez, one of the hottest voices in the bubbling Cuban music scene, has become a frequent collaborator with Idan, and their song "La Eternidad Que Se Perdió (The Eternity That Was Lost)" was partially recorded in Havana with singers from the legendary Orquesta Aragón. Idan also looked for collaborators closer to home, and And If You Will Come to Me features duets with two of Israel's most iconic voices. "Zehava Ben is one of Israel's most legendary singers, points out Idan. "Her music is very Middle Eastern in flavor. She is always exploring her Arabic side, her Egyptian side, her Moroccan side. She is a phenomenon and one of the only Israeli singers who has performed in Egypt, who has fans in Egypt and even in the Palestinian city of Ramallah. I always loved her voice and it touched me deeply whenever I heard her sing."
