KLEZMATICS: "Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf!" (Rounder) - Three stars

This six-piece band from Manhattan's East Village takes an innovative approach to klezmer, the traditional dance music of Eastern European Jews. The recordings take turns being wild, spiritual, provocative, reflective and danceable with lyrics that explore political and social issues. "Rise Up! Shteyt Oyf!" includes English and Yiddish covers of Holly Near's "I Ain't Afraid," which comments on ill will in the name of religion. The Klezmatics blur the line of tradition with modern sonic sensibilities, but the only sample is the voice of Shmerke Kaczerginsky on "Barikadn," a song written for 1920s youth workers that resonates with the band's support for anti-globalization efforts and worker's rights.

- Phillip Zonkel