Manginah's spring show Sunday night in Slosberg Recital Hall featured a variety of Israeli pop and traditional Jewish melodies, complimented by the all-American Starving Artists. Whenever Manginah's style became repetitive, Starving Artists would step in, reviving the momentum of the evening, making it a memorable performance.The opening, "Tutim," was reminiscent of the strawberries growing during the spring, with a song rolling around at an appropriately lazy pace. The season's lassitude became apparent here, as Liat Rudberg '09 sang verse after verse in Hebrew.

An exceptionally strong beat and poignant meaning filled the Yalla Bye piece, performed by Assaf Ben-Atar '07. The lyrics were hysterical; translated into English, he started off peacefully describing, "In the evening at my sister's/ On the white porch/ She told me in detail" and in the fourth line sang "how the son of a bitch left," eliciting hysterical laughter from the audience.

The song then described how once the relationship was over, it was not worth trying to pursue the boy, advising to move on instead and say "Yalla Bye." This was one of the most powerful songs, as it contained a relatable story line coupled with a melody that left one humming leaving Slosberg.

The finale, Casara Nemes' '08 rendition of "Soulmate" had the whole audience clapping along. It was well received, and stood out from the rest of the set, as it was one of the only English songs sung by Manginah.

Starving Artists' two-set, four-song performance added variety to the evening, and was classic Americana, making the production stronger as a whole. Their only shortcoming came during The Beatles' "Oh, Darling!" with Julie Albert '08 as the soloist. Albert's rendition of the piece was wonderful, with her strong voice belting out the chorus and filling the hall, but as an often repeated choice of song, it demonstrated a lack of originality.

The energy and enthusiasm in both groups was top-notch and contagious, quickly passing through the audience. Josh Mervis '08 displayed such high physical and mental energy that it would have been impossible to guess that 30 minutes before the concert, he was singing his last of five performances in four days as Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, demonstrating a true dedication to the arts.

Manginah's large following filled Slosberg Recital Hall, and encompassed some who understood the songs in Hebrew completely fluently and some who knew no Hebrew at all. Through the emotion of the singers, it was easy for audience members to close their eyes and fall into the emotional quality of the music regardless of whether or not they could understand the words.



Editor's Note: Assaf Ben-Atar is technology assistant for the Justice.