In the annals of contemporary Chanukah music, we’ve had choir backed singalongs, rap songs, klezmer ditties and heavy metal paeans. However, Chevonne’s My Menorah is the first sultry Hasmonean R&B track I have ever heard. Jewish? Well she’s got Semitic hair-even if it is occasionally pink, she wears a blinged-out Magen David, she mentions Manischewitz so often you gotta wonder whether they paid her for the product placement, the video was shot in SOHO and I did see a drawer full of dreidels in there. Sultry? Uh… yes. Chevonne, a Jewish Betty Davis, is clearly not so into tznius. R&B? No doubt – Chevonne is a great singer and works that slow groove to a T. OK so technically we light a Chanukiah on Hanukkah and not a Menorah. The Menorah had seven branches and was used in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews only found enough consecrated oil to light the Menorah for one day. The oil lasted 8 days and so we light a Chanukiah with 8 branches and a shamash. But that’s ok. In common usage a Chanukiah is called a Menorah so we can forgive that. Chevonne’s song, is basically about bumpin’ booties with eight suitors in a Festival of Nights, and other than superficial nods to Chanukah, has, thematically, nothing at all to do with the holiday.
But whatever, she did do a photoshoot for Heeb at the Knishery – anyone that’s tight with Alex is gonna be tight with me. It’s a fun to video to watch, Chevonne is a very talented vocalist, the video was expertly shot, and so I’m not going to give her a hard time.
Oh shit. Did I just say hard??? Yikes!
Sigh. You can find out more about Chevonne and her upcoming NYC gigs on her Web site, ListenToChevonne.com where you can also listen to and perhaps purchase tracks from her Holiday themed EP, Unwrap Me. Enjoy!
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She’s awesome! I loved this!!!