Rebel rockers Michael Franti & Spearhead, known for bringing understanding of global and political awareness to listeners through their music, profess inspiring messages of social responsibility on their latest album All Rebel Rockers.
The Album
Michael Franti & Spearhead's sixth album release, All Rebel Rockers was recorded mostly on location in Kingston, Jamaica. The album, which was produced by drum-and-bass legends Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, was released by ANTI- Records on September 9, 2008.
Classified by iTunes as alternative in genre, Franti has created his own style of music, fusing hip hop with reggae, funk and pop. All Rebel Rockers has a distinct Jamaican sound mixed with dub rock. The lyrics in the songs are heartfelt. Some songs express deeper concerns, like Hey World (Don't Give Up) while others are much lighter, like A Little Bit a Riddim and Say Hey (I Love You).
Say Hey (I Love You) will undoubtedly be one of the biggest hits of Franti's career. This catchy, upbeat song with a Jamaican-style rhythm, has gained more mainstream radio play than any of Franti's previous songs and is gaining in popularity.
Some of the songs on the album have a great reggae dance-hall rhythm. A Little Bit of Riddim, featuring Jamaican singer Cherine Anderson, is one of those songs with a contagious beat.
Rebel Rockers
Franti's socially conscious, yet feel-good music, has always moved listeners to think about the state of the world. All Rebel Rockers is a slight departure from previous Spearhead albums, like Yell Fire, in that Franti continues to get his messages of deep concern across by toning down his politically fused lyrics.
This newest album by Franti could best be described as 'Spearhead light' for a few reasons. The songs on All Rebel Rockers are not nearly as extreme as some of Franti's earlier works. Franti's strongly voiced opinions have been replaced with upbeat choruses which gets the message across in a more subtle manner.
The songs with the most socially conscious lyrics on this album are both versions of Hey World, Have a Little Faith, and Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong. In Hey World (Remote Control Version) Franti repeats the mantra "You've got to let go of the remote control" and in the other version expresses that he's not giving up on the world and its troubles.
All Rebel Rockers is 'user-friendly Franti' for the mainstream audience. In fact, many may think this is the band's first album. Getting more people to take notice about the issues Franti tries to give exposure to, is a positive move. Being able to bring understanding of these issues in a way that engages the listener's attention may seem almost too difficult to accomplish, but Franti himself is a phenomenon who can make the impossible seem possible.
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