|
Taken from The Indianapolis Star (February 13, 2009)
Roots rebel sound
Eclectic artist's latest was made in Jamaica
By David
Lindquist
.jpg)
2006 file photo provided by Shore Fire Media |
The bold and easy-to-grasp melodies of "All Rebel Rockers" -- the latest album by Michael Franti & Spearhead -- are no accident.
Vocalist-guitarist Franti wants listeners to sing along, whether they're driving cars, riding subways or climbing mountains.
"We really worked to make the hooks of the songs direct, simple and clear," says Franti, who will perform tonight at the Murat Egyptian Room.
As a member of Spearhead and previous acts the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and the Beatnigs, Franti has been variously classified as an industrial, hip-hop and jam-band rock musician.
File his latest work under "reggae."
"All Rebel Rockers" was made in Kingston, Jamaica, with help from iconic rhythm section Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.
Dunbar, a drummer, encouraged Spearhead to aim for mass appeal.
"Sly came to me and said, 'Even more than melody, rhythm is the international language today,' " Franti says. "If you can make songs they dance to in Jamaica, they'll dance to them in Japan, Australia, America and Africa."
Released in September, the album entered Billboard magazine's albums chart at No. 39 -- an all-time high for any Franti recording dating to the Beatnigs debut album of 1988.
A 42-year-old native of Oakland, Calif., Franti built an underground fan base through social and political commentary in his lyrics.
"Television, the Drug of the Nation" was the signature tune of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, and Spearhead's 2001 album "Stay Human" served as a 22-track argument against the death penalty.
The 2005 film "I Know I'm Not Alone" documented Franti's peace-promoting visits to Israel, Palestine and Iraq.
Franti's "world citizen" status is celebrated on "Rude Boys Back in Town," the opening track of "All Rebel Rockers." The song is a travelogue of stops in several countries -- Japan, China, Indonesia, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, Israel, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica and Cuba -- before the musician heads home to Northern California.
Franti says he's grateful for finding "open-minded" jam-band fans wherever he goes.
"They're willing to support the music and travel to see the music," Franti says. "They listen to the words and are engaged in more of a way than, 'Is this song on the radio today?'"
|
