I love this CD.  It is so funky and is truly shake your booty music.
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From the opening seconds of Akiva's 'Bueno y Sano', originality soars. He plays in a genre populated by Mayers and Grays and Johnsons, but the music should only be compared lightly to these contemporary troubadours, for Akiva's world has more substance than Mayer's, is more organic than Gray's, and is a bit more effectively centered than the flighty Jack Johnson. The opening track, the irresistably singable 'Babylon', peaks right away to set the stage for the valley of the following track, 'Ireland', a punchy ballad with definite depth. The meat of the record is comprised of the pop optimism of 'This Is Life', followed by 'Home', a decidedly danceable groove machine, the chaotic and smiling 'George Lucas', and 'Moves', a bravado laden anthem of front porch sexuality, complete with a near-perfect bridge. Akiva continues his mastery of the repeatedly listenable song with the upbeat 'Laughing Tuesday's Gone' and the emotional 'Ordinary Rockets'. A last bit of funk is injected with the storytelling of 'Black & White' before the record concludes with 'Faithful', a simple ballad of self-examination in which he proclaims "I'm passin' by the paralyze". If, by 'the paralyze' Akiva is referring to a stagnant and bland singer/songwriter genre, then by all means, yes, he is passing them by.
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I bought this CD from AKIVA knowing it will be nothing short of a compilation of really great sounding songs, and sure enough that is precisly what came about.  Attended numerous of his perfomances and even know I had a pretty good sense of what will make it to the album it was still one great surprise that made my drive down to Washington DC a memorable experience.  SO thanks AKIVA, rock on!
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Akiva has delivered a triumphant debut album.  This is 21st century soul music—from the Curtis Mayfield-style strings on “Home” to the heart-on-sleeve poetics of “Ordinary Rockets.”  Akiva writes the kind of songs that will draw comparisons to the likes of John Mayer and Jason Mraz before leaving them in the dust.  His lyrical delivery is conversational.  This allows him to achieve a higher level of poetic depth without any loss of accessibility—and Akiva’s not afraid to tackle some heavy philosophical themes, whether he’s referencing the mythological figure Daedalus in the transcendent “Faithful” or in “Laughing Tuesday’s Gone,” letting the “white men in suits” with their “money clips” know that this is his world, just in case they made the mistake of thinking otherwise.  The production is eclectic and luminous—further evidence of the fact that Phil Jimenez is one of the most creative and talented young producers in the business.  Bueno y Sano is the kind of record that will get your mind and body moving.
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