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Taken from AL (Aug 14, 2009)
Michael Franti offers hot show at Birmingham's WorkPlay (in more ways than one)
Michael Franti & Spearhead, Thursday night at the WorkPlay soundstage in Birmingham, Alabama. Review rating: Four out of five stars.
by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News
Special / Sandlin Gaither)
Michael Franti in Asheville, N.C. |
In a way, it was like being back at City Stages '03, listening to Michael Franti for the first time.
Hot, sweaty crowd? Check. Charismatic, loose-limbed frontman? Also check. Compelling music that combines reggae with hip-hop, folk and rock? Check again.
On Thursday, however, the audience was assembled inside, at the WorkPlay soundstage, and Franti was making his fourth appearance in Birmingham.
Over the past six years, he's developed a fan base here, and rightfully so. Franti is an interesting artist, with heartfelt convictions, and his songs have both visceral and cerebral appeal.
The 9:10 p.m. show started with the adrenaline rush of "Everybody Ona Move,"and kept the energy level high for about 100 minutes.
Franti's five-member band seemed right in tune with his aesthetic, and Cherine Anderson, the featured singer, offered some strong, throaty solos. (She also served as the opening act at 8:55 p.m.)
In general, Franti kept his stage commentary to a minimum, allowing each dynamic song to segue into the next. His agenda reached back to 2003 for "Never Too Late" and "Everyone Deserves Music," but Franti placed an emphasis on two fairly recent recordings, 2006's "Yell Fire!" and 2008's "All Rebel Rockers."
Tunes from those discs were among the evening's highlights, such as "Hello Bonjour," "Rude Boys Back in Town," "Say Hey (I Love You)," "I Got Love For You" and "All I Want Is You." A new number, "Sound of Sunshine," was slipped into the set, as well.
Speaking of slippery: That's a good way to describe the crowd at the soundstage. Many listeners were soaked in perspiration as they moved and grooved in the sauna-like space.
But fans weren't about to let discomfort -- a little AC would have been oh, so nice -- prevent them from enjoying Franti's show. Die-hards stayed until the encore faded at 10:50 p.m., relishing the joyful vibes created on stage.
For the record, a WorkPlay spokesman says the lack of air-conditioning was Franti's choice. Maybe, in his world, sweltering is a unifying factor.
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