Michael Franti Soul Rocker released

Soul Rocker Michael Franti & Spearhead

Released: June 3, 2016 Peak: 38 US, -- UK, 96 CN, 65 AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: alternative rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Crazy for You [3:39] (5/8/17, --) My Lord [3:55] Get Myself to Saturday [4:18] Summertime Is in Our Hands [3:48] (5/27/17, 28 AC) We Are All Earthlings [3:44] Still Standing [3:46] Good to Be Alive Today [4:14] (5/29/16) My Favorite Wine Is Tequila [4:08] Once a Day [3:57] (6/22/15, 30 A40, 17 AA) We Do This Every Day [4:14] I Got Love for Ya [3:58] Do You Feel the Way That I Do? [4:56] Love Will Find a Way [3:42] (11/5/16, --) All songs written by Michael Franti. Total Running Time: 52:19

Rating: 3.952 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: A reviewer on Amazon called Michael Franti “the Bob Marley of our times,” AZ praising him a “a champion for peace, love, veterans, and all ‘earthlings’ in general.” AZ Another reviewer said, “there’s really NOTHING that can compare to a live Michael Franti and Spearhead show. You will leave that show a better person. You will want to help others. You will want to make a difference in the world.” AZ I saw him in concert for the first time in the summer of 2017 when he was supporting the Soul Rocker album. The reviewers on Amazon nailed it. Michael Franti is a modern-day Bob Marley, desperately trying to bring the world together through his message of peace in his music and the communal spirit of his concerts. It is the best show I’ve ever seen. The album is stocked with songs begging to be played in front of an audience. My Favorite Wine Is Tequila has a definite party vibe. It “may go the full Jimmy Buffett, but a classic, vintage reggae sample makes it the right kind of cheeky.” AMG Get Myself to Saturday showcases “honest and vulnerable lyrics coming from a man who kicked off his career with the political attack squads the Beatnigs and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.” AMG Franti is also a consummate activist using his songs to spotlight various causes. He somehow manages, however, to keep the atmosphere light and fun instead of preachy. “We Are All Earthlings is like a Greenpeace sticker plastered over a Recycle sticker stuck on a flyer for clean water, and Franti covers the same ground (grew up confused, got mad at the world, then things got better) on a couple autobiographical songs.” AMG Perhaps no song showcases Franti’s message of peace and love more than Once a Day. The lyrics have a positive, hippy vibe that dares the listener not to sing along: “Everybody oughta hug somebody, at least once a day / And everybody oughta kiss somebody, at least once a day / Everybody’s gonna miss somebody, at least once a day / And everybody gotta love somebody, every day.” Franti seamlessly melds multiple genres together, tapping into reggae, hip-hop, alternative rock, and even electronica. My Lord, a “chugging EDM-meets-rootsy-music tune.” AMG “Bright dance music is an easy fit” AMG for Franti considering how much he is “aiming for a crowd singing in unison.” AMG “If the strings on Love Will Find a Way are synthetic, the song and the performance are still angelic, connecting immediately and giving Franti his own ‘Redemption Song.’” AMG The album is “inspired, warm, and inviting, plus in parts, it is diminutive in the best sense of the word.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Michael Franti Dave’s Music Database (7/11/2017). “In Concert: Michael Franti & Spearhead” AMG All Music Guide review by David Jeffries AZ Amazon WK Wikipedia First posted 8/20/2021; last updated 2/5/2022.