There aren’t many hip-hop artists out there today who give a damn about putting positive messages in their music, but Michael Franti is one of them. Ever since his days with seminal group Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Franti has infused his sounds with insightful and thought-provoking lyricism, and this latest Spearhead joint is no exception. Stay Human tackles, among other things, the subject of capital punishment. Through a make-believe community radio station, Franti t [Read More...]
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The day a new Spearhead CD is released is indeed a richer day than most. Stay Human represents the best work Spearhead has released to date. It is at the same time beautiful, uplifting, thought provoking, educational, fun, serious, clever, mellow, angry, funky, happy and simply some of the finest music available today. I kid you not. There are songs on Stay Human which are so damn good it must be hard for other artists to listen to them without turning green with envy. Every single track is outstanding. How can I convey the beauty of this music through mere words? I can’t. What I can do is recommend you buy this album as soon as physically possible. In a small but significant way it will enhance your life. Check it out. Enjoy it. Share it with a friend or loved one. Stay Human.
I heard Spearhead play live on a local radio station and immediately bought the cd on Amazon. I don’t buy hip-hop per se but this album transcends categories. There are wonderful influences here, Al Green, Commodores, Marvin Gaye, gospel. And there are hip-hop influences as well. I recommend that you listen to “Every Single Soul” and “Love’ll Set Me Free.” These are melodic, refreshing, soulful songs that deal with the themes of redemption and the transcending power of love using lyrics that are never trite or sappy. For example, in “Every Single Soul,” Franti sings, “No matter where I roam, every single soul’s a poem written on the back of God’s hand.” The song highlights Franti’s talents as a story-teller and a gifted singer who deals with the themes that matter most. Most importantly, the song will melt your heart. All in all, there are six tracks I play all the time. In addition to the previously mentioned, I play “Skin on the Drum,” “Speaking of Tongues,” “Do Ya Love,” and “Oh My God.” I’ve been playing the disc for ten months and still find nourishment from it. Even discs I often recommend usually don’t have this long-lasting appeal.
The music on this album is amazing, and the message is right-on. In fact this is probably Franti’s best ever album when judged from the viewpoint of music, lyrics, and message.
Unfortunately I found the radio broadcast segments to be ill-conceived and intrusive, but they are easily skipped.
The “music fan” who praised Stay Human but only gave it 1 star because of objections to who Franti chooses to give political support to needs to learn more about the Mumia Abu-Jamal case, which is nowhere near as cut & dried as their post suggests. The trial transcripts don’t tell the whole story - the whole point is that this was considered an unfair and biased trial. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find plenty to question.