Stay Human

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
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 tells the tale of Sister Fatima, a healer and activist who is being put to death for a crime that her community believes she didn't commit. The "live" broadcasts act as elaborate skits between Franti's insouciant, soul-rap hybrids and help to expose the arrogant nature of America's judicial system and the brutal finality of the death sentence. Musically, Franti has created a richer, more string-laden backdrop for his tracks, creating some of his best idiosyncratic, feel-good vibes to date. But while the funkadelic edge of "Rock the Nation" and laid-back ballad style of "Do Ya Love" are worthy in their own right, Franti's real genius lies in his ability to weave opinions into compelling narratives so that we don't feel we're being battered over the head with someone else's ideas. Emotive, soulful, and opinionated, Spearhead are almost single-handedly keeping alive a tradition epitomized by Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Bill Withers. Don't sleep. --Paul Sullivan

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Customer reviews

review by: burro date: 2007-10-19 rating:
Brilliant, Beautiful
I got to hear this entire album played today on an online broadcast for a small radio station. Coming in in the middle, like the first listeners to Orson Welles's "War of the World's" broadcast, I must confess that I initially thought the fictional story of "Sister Fatima" -- over-layed like a local DJ's mix of news onto the album tracks -- to be a genuine retrospective of some real events -- that's how accurate the story was to similar aspects of our real-life world, at least in parts. (I caught on when the Governor who backed her execution in the storyline actually cared when he got caught).

What made this album move me was the accuracy in the portrayal of voices. The Sister Fatima's bravery reminded me so much of people I've admired -- friends and icons -- and the characteristics of their bravery under pressure. The Governor's exaggerated causticness is a caricature, but really not that much less subtle than our real-life fascists, "neocons," world-destroyers, now rampant worldwide, in business, government, media, judiciary.

Set against the album's heart-felt uplifting music and lyrics -- which could easily stand on their own -- the faux news is faithful enough to life to make both more poignant. With the storyline overlay, the album may wind up filed away as a novelty album by some, but it seems easy enough to burn a copy without those tracks.

(At first listen, I thought the storyline was actually superimposed over music, which might have bothered me -- but the track list and other reviews assure me that the storyline tracks are separate... yes?)

Thanks to the artists for a beautiful piece of work, beautifully performed.

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review by: Bone Crusher date: 2007-10-11 rating:
Stay Human
For all the funky people in the the world.... peace!

Get out there and Rock the Nation. Be part of the Solution!

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review by: throatsprockets date: 2006-05-25 rating:
Mostly great
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.

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review by: date: 2005-08-06 rating:
So good!
Michael Franti and Spearhead has yet to let me down. This album is yet another that not only is a showcase for their amazing musical talent, but it also tells a strong story that spurs the mind to think about the world in which we live. As a long time advocate for abolishing the death penalty, this record tells a tale that I will never forget in my arguments to abolish the death penalty. Yet another record of targeting a specific population, and ignoring white collar crime (which in my opinion effects the population much more than anything other crime).


review by: date: 2005-05-07 rating:
"Stay Human"--One of my top 10
This album has to be the best that Michael Franti & Spearhead has put out so far....

The music: the band is very musical and pulls in lots of different influences that combine together in a completely original way: hip-hop, jazz, african, rock, spoken word, etc. Every time I listen I hear something new.

The lyrics: As I was an English major, lyrics are very important to me. Franti writes great lyrics-- he is an intellectual poet as far as I am concerned, and you can hear his skill in lyricism come through on tracks like "Speaking of Tongues" and "Skin on the Drum."

Political Message: Franti's political message is to spread tolerance and love. Some of the tracks are explicitly political, such as "Oh My God," while others are just a wonderful celebration of life. It's a good balance.

The only thing that gets a little annoying after you listen to the album several times is the radio show that shows up between most of the tracks. It's a great political message, but sometimes you just want to listen to music and not get preached at. That shouldn't deter you from buying this great album, though.

Great CD!!!

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