Noah Lubin - The Wandering Jew

Feature story by E.M.Kaplan

 "I always had a bad association with the guitar and guys with long hair and leather pants," says musician Noah Lubin. "I actually felt slightly embarrassed when I would walk around with a guitar (and I still do some days) because I feel like some 80's rocker. Damn those associations!"

Somehow Lubin has gotten over his fear of becoming a C.C.Deville clone for the most part and in doing so has become something that eluded many of the 80's shredders: a guitarist who can play authentic Delta blues before surging into awe-inspiring flamenco runs all within a unique style that emphasizes soul and phrasing over technical prowess.

Tall with tight curls and an ever-present hat, Lubin resembles a serious puppet in a Jim Henson production. He sticks out like laughter at a crime scene. He dresses in attire that knows no fashion sense, all dusty sweaters and shoes whose maker no one can track down. The musician looks like he could have been standing alongside Dylan on the cover of John Wesley Harding. Yet Lubin is a gentle giant and with his beloved classical guitar in his hands, one can sense the true love, the kind that is deep in the marrow, which he has for music, art and life.

The singer/songwriter has released a debut album, "Leaving Egypt" that features all the hallmarks of his natural style from penetrating bluesy licks that resonate with authority to sweet and sensitive runs that incorporate flashes of jazz, flamenco and rock in a stew that leaves the listener with ears wide open. The ethereal tomb that is "Leaving Egypt" is a first-class debut from an artist who seeks purity in his vision above all else. How Lubin arrived at this point is a long twisted tale that involves frequent flyer miles akin to a corporate CEO, a true nomadic existence in this ever-social networked world and a desire to do things his way regardless of commercial appeal and suit and tie record industry politics. Oh, he also sings about half his songs in Hebrew, but we will get to that in a bit.

- Read the full review at UnRatedMagazine.com