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Taken from Pucknation (March 13, 2004)
Michael Franti And Spearhead
"Everyone Deserves Music"
2003 Boo Boo Wax/Imusic/BMG
Score: 10 (of ten)
by Madison McKenna and The Little Goblin
 Little Goblin: So, what are we reviewing today, Madison?
Madison McKenna: Michael Franti and Spearhead's newest CD, "Everyone Deserves Music."
Madison McKenna: Michael Franti is such a cool guy too... lots of hair...
Little Goblin: First of all, the impression I got from the record was that Mr. Franti has very diverse musical tastes. I hear so many different sounds...
Little Goblin: Now, you're a little more experienced with his music than I am. You've seen him live right?
Madison McKenna: Yeah, it's tough to classify although there's definitely influences of reggae, hip-hop, rap, rock...
Madison McKenna: He's amazing live... seriously. I was at a concert where they opened and you know how openers usually have such a hard time getting the audience riled up?
Little Goblin: Yeah?
Madison McKenna: Well, by the end of their set everyone was moving and singing along with songs that most of the people had probably never heard before. The energy was amazing.
Madison McKenna: I think he appeals to a lot of people too...
Little Goblin: It's hard to transfer that kind of energy to a recording. The energy I got from the record was simply amazing. Is it even close to capturing the live show?
Madison McKenna: Yeah, the record is intense, but you really haven't experienced these guys music completely until you've been to a concert. They have a lot to say and unbelievably with as much as they say on the record, they give you even more live.
Little Goblin: Ha!
Little Goblin: This record has some really catchy lines. So many of the messages stand out.
Little Goblin: "We Don't Stop" comes to mind. I think it's my favorite track.
Madison McKenna: That's an awesome track, one of my favorites. There's a TON going on with this music... Its not carried simply by the music or lyrics alone, both are incredibly powerful... I mean, you can listen to it ten times and still hear something new.
Little Goblin: Alright, pop-quiz: The last time you listened.... what did you walk away with?
Madison McKenna: Its hard to point out come general message that I came back with since I got those after maybe four listens... but now its just a new lyric I find intriguing... In fact I remember you were the one who pointed out to me the "Bush War One and Bush War Two" lyric! Haha!
Little Goblin: I was hooked on that line the first time I heard it.
Madison McKenna: What grabbed you about it first? The music or the lyrics?
Little Goblin: Puckett and I on the ride over were listening to it... and we got addicted to a line somewhere on the record that was like "you can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace."
Little Goblin: The first time though, was when he started throwing out all the genres he loves.
I wanna rock with punks because I love punk rock,
I wanna rock with heads because I love hip hop,
I wanna rock my beats all around the block,
If I was in Bagdad then I would rock Iraq,
Little Goblin: That part was just really cool.Little Goblin: And it kind of shows how all these diverse sounds ended up coming together in his head.
Madison McKenna: Making it hard to find in music stores. Haha!
Little Goblin: Oh yea, I've seen it in rock R&B and... pop.
Little Goblin: That was at the mall.
Madison McKenna: Yeah, no one knows what to do with it.
Madison McKenna: Probably the way he wanted it.
Little Goblin: Haha!
Little Goblin: Well, we've talked this long, and we haven't even gotten to something that I think is a huge deal...
Madison McKenna: What's that?
Little Goblin: The themes of the record. He's definitely writing protest songs.
Madison McKenna: Do you think protest songs is the right term for it really?
Little Goblin: Sure, but they are different than most. What makes these protest songs so different is that they are pro-active, and more importantly, progressive.
Madison McKenna: This music really keeps it positive and upbeat though he may be talking about war and hate.
Little Goblin: Exactly.
Madison McKenna: Obviously this is a really relevant albums to our times.
Little Goblin: He speaks on war, he speaks on bigotry. He also speaks on unity, and doing what's right.
Little Goblin: Truly a record for our times.
Madison McKenna: It's funny, in the liner notes there's fake stock market numbers for compassion, greed, and love.
Little Goblin: Really? I haven't really had a chance to thumb through those.
Madison McKenna: As random as that is, it gets across briefly the themes of the album.
Madison McKenna: And if you want to keep your money, don't invest in compassion.
Madison McKenna: Apparently its down.
Little Goblin: =)
Little Goblin: Well, did we cover everything you wanted to cover?
Madison McKenna: Not really, but this is a hard album to put into a nutshell, so I'm not gonna try.
Madison McKenna: But i could give it a score
Madison McKenna: Is it that time?
Little Goblin: Sure.
Little Goblin: What kind of score does one give a record that nearly, flawlessly encompasses the sounds of rock, reggae, hip-hop, punk and a half dozen other styles, to lay out a branch of progressive protest lyrics pleading for us to all be better to each other? With a task like that, it's hard not to score high, especially considering the level of the talent...
Little Goblin: Score?
Madison McKenna: 10!
Little Goblin: Perfect.
Little Goblin: I think I'm gonna go pop it back in again now.
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