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![]() Michael Franti & Spearhead
Stay Human Music with heart and a message, not to
mention slammin' beats. Former Disposable Hero of Hiphoprisy, Franti's newest release with his
band Spearhead is a stridently pro-life disc -- and I don't mean that in terms of the abortion
debate -- incorporating an incredibly funky groove with direct lyrics and an interesting, though
pedantic, radio play interspersed between the songs. The album's title is a plea that works on several levels and the songs back that up:
anti-violence, anti-racism, anti-death penalty, pro-medicinal marijuana and pro-environment. The
lyrics included in the CD booklet are augmented by brief quotes against capital punishment from
an array of celebrity types including Krist Novoselic and Kenneth Cole and salient incarceration
statistics. Franti's rich baritone is well-deployed from rap to spoken word to reggae inflection to r'n'b
and is augmented by a variety of guest vocalists, including Zap Mama. His impassioned, eloquent
delivery touches on a wide swath of society's ills with ingratiating choruses and nonsense
syllables that implant themselves in your brain after one spin. The album's bookends "Oh My God"
and "Skin on the Drum" are two stand-outs and "Listener Supported" is my favorite with its props
to low power radio. The muscular flexibility of Spearhead keeps the music on par with the
vocalist's magnetism. It's music that moves your hips and your brain at the same time. My
favorite kind.
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