David Nefesh - Reviews
          
                             Photo: Larry Zeligson         		  
"In the race between the tortoise and the hare, the tortoise wins.  It's a story for the ages.  And when David Nefesh decided to pick 
up his guitar and start writing songs in 1999, he too proved that slow and steady wins the race...He continues to practice psychology during the  day while also creating music celebrating his rediscovery of youthful idealism...The songs on Pureheart delve into the aspects of relationships between close friends, lovers, 
and family...(My Own Mars) captures a youthful playfulness experienced by individuals entertaining the early years of middle age.  Called by name, each character is an alien to an outside world that chooses to take itself too seriously......Nefesh finds the magic in daily living..."  
Bruce Edward Walker, Freelance Writer & Author, former Adjunct Professor of Literature & Academic Writing at the University of Detroit Mercy, and current editor of the Michigan Science Report. 

           

"...David Nefesh's CD entitled Stripped...was recorded live with just Nefesh accompanying himself on acoustic guitar at one of his 1999 cafe gigs.  Gifted with a strong, emotionally honest vocal delivery, Nefesh sounds alternately like James Taylor with the resonant twang of Gordon Lightfoot and -- at that point where his voice just breaks the note -- a bit of Michael Stipe (Think: "Night Swimming" from Automatic for the People).

 David Nefesh is also an astounding guitarist and the  production on this disc sounds so crisp you'd swear it  was sweetened in the studio. Being a divorced father (who is also a practicing  psychotherapist), Nefesh draws lyrical inspiration from his own experiences of loss, love and soul-searching and laces his songs with a spiritual subtext that's both refreshing and inspiring.  It's a basic premise, but one full of complexity and nuance.  David Nefesh is an artist to watch."

Gail Worley, Freelance Rock Critic, music reviewer for StarPolish.com, author of ReQuest magazine's Dr. Feelgood column, and regular contributor to Launch.com, Modern Drummer, Rockpile and KNAC.com. Her works have been published by CD Now, Amazon.com, DrDrew.com, Metal Hammer England, PopSmear and many other publications. Perhaps best known for her internationally famous internet column "The Worley Gig" which ran on the Seattle-based webzine Pandemonium Online for over four years.

           

"An unfailing sincere folkie, David Nefesh comes from the school of 'earnest 'til it hurts'...some notable lyrical moments...a fine folk reflection on the order of what Bob Mould and Billy Bragg have been up to in the past decade."

Joseph McCombs, San Francisco freelance music writer and contributor to StarPolish.com, OnAir.com, Choler.com, Digital Music Weekly, ZDNet Music, and other publications.

           

David Nefesh, a singer-songwriter in the Detroit area, has released a remarkable record that really should be heard beyond his native Detroit audience. Having listened to the compact disc now several times, I am struck by his capacity to write lyrics that give us a glimpse of his pain, sorrow, and regret, as well as joy, revival, and his commitment to live his life truly. His guitar work, which is reminiscent of Richard Thompson and others in the folk tradition, is well tailored to suit his lyrics. 

This compilation consists of fifteen tracks devoted to living life, even at its most painful. In "Quandry How To Feel" he sings: "The landscape I've left looks tired and worn - Grassy meadows trampled on by my footsteps. Contented faces now with weary eyes - Haunt me, as I walk through new fields where I found you."

Nefesh can at once entice the listener into a world of both pain and rejoicing, loss and recovery, into a place all of us know, but few ever express. This recording (Stripped) is a stunning achievement...I recommend it highly.

Derrich Woehle
Psychotherapist & Musician (Minnesota Rocks!)

           

"Nefesh's tunes are so universal in their content that I often feel as though he is singing about my life. His songs deserve to be accompanying me on my way to work in the morning when I tune into my favourite radio station."

Avrum Rosensweig
Radio and Television Show Host
CFRB, 1010 AM, Toronto, Canada
Channel 11, OnTv, Toronto, Canada
Founder & Executive Director, Ve'ahavta Humanitarian Organization (Veahavta.org)

           

"He looks like Richard Thompson and has a voice reminiscent of Michael Stipe, but David's songs and sounds are his own--thoughtful and beautiful...If you haven't heard David yet, see him...great stuff!"

John Finan
Singer-Songwriter
(Michigan)

           

"Thank you for a special musical evening.  It's great to know you and your music...Your songs are thoughtful, perceptive, comforting and spirited -- I would say a good range of life's possibilities bundled warmly.  Surely you could tell your audience was enjoying you and your muse in our midst." 

Susan Weber
Singer-Songwriter
(Ohio)

            

"...personal lyrics and rhythms (that) touch a chord...with depth and range of expression...commitment to reaching out (that) seems boundless...on the pulse of the universal heart..."

 Ula Einstein, Artist, New York City

             

"Your album (Pureheart) is beautiful. You have real good sense for fine musical arrangements..."

Maggie Ferguson
Michigan singer-songwriter, co-host of 
Live! at the Living Room Acoustic Showcase, 
and WXOU (Oakland University) Radio Show host 
            

"I saw you at Borders...loved your music and now I play it at home in Melbourne, Australia...your songs are fantastic..."

Bridget Ogley
Melbourne, Australia

           

"Saw you at xhedos Cafe...really liked the way you sounded with the electric."

Katie Hickner
Poet

           
  
"Great to see you are so busy playing and writing so many good songs."

Steve Deasy
Singer-Songwriter

"I can't believe you're not on American Idol."

Noah Leavitt (9)
Cleveland, Ohio