Michael Franti & Spearhead - The Sound of Sunshine
Rating
RIYL
Wyclef JeanJack Johnson
Blue King Brown
The Cruel Sea
Release Date
09/21/2010
Label
Capitol RecordsTracklist
1. The Sound Of Sunshine2. Shake It
3. Hey Hey Hey
4. Anytime You Need Me
5. I'll Be Waiting
6. The Only Thing Missing Was You
7. Love Don't Wait
8. The Thing That Makes Me Get Through
9. Gloria
10. Headphones
11. The Sound Of Sunshine Going Down
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I’d like to think that’s a fairly eclectic mix for an RIYL, for a musician to be compared a Haitian-American rapper, a Hawaiian singer/songwriter, a Jamaican via Australia roots/reggae outfit, and a 90s Australian surf rock group. Unfortunately Michael Franti has taken all the most clichêd aspects of each of these artists, as well as some other obscure influences, to produce The Sound of Sunshine with his band Spearhead. We all know the circles that Franti revolves in; it’s those guys with the attitude that an acoustic guitar and a perfectly executed smile can fix all the worlds problems. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge the guy for attempting to make a better place of this mess, I just wish they could some write some better music to back it up.
On a few levels, The Sound of Sunshine is laughably naive in concept. During a tour last August, Franti had to be rushed to hospital after rupturing his appendix, remaining there for just over a week, which is reportedly the catalyst for this latest offering. Unfortunately, if The Sound of Sunshine wants to be taken seriously, the website does it few favors in speaking of the incident: “...often joyous and uplifting The Sound Of Sunshine actually came out of a darker and tougher personal experience for Franti… ‘I almost died and I wrote many of these songs coming out of that experience while I was in the hospital… I could laugh with the people I love, cry with them, and start to find the sun again…’”
Seriously, you almost died from a ruptured appendix? Dude, you’re a musician living on the edge aren’t you?… It kind of puts some perspective of how well Franti can relate to the whole experience in his middle east war documentary I Know I’m Not Alone.
Musically, Franti appears to be flogging a dead horse. The reggae music scene has remained unchanged since pioneered by guys like Bob Marley in the 60s; the beats and breaks are all the same, with very little new creative direction. This is immediately apparent in the first four The Sound of Sunshine tracks including the title track, "Shake It," "Hey Hey Hey," and "Anytime You Need Me," which feature quick paced muted acoustic chords, Jamaican dancehall queen Lady Saw, a copyright infringement on The Black Eyed Peas song "Where is the Love?" and everybody’s favorite instrument, whistles. Franti’s switch between rapping and singing various choruses throughout the album remains his most creative outlet, unfortunately with his invariably uninspired lyrics, it’s not an advantage.
The only moments where we experience something that breaks from the sub-par reggae appear to be dangerously close to plagiarism. As mentioned he borrows a Black Eyed Peas chorus on "Hey Hey Hey," as well as U2's guitar riff from "City of Blinding Lights," and it seems he’s fit Lenny Kravitz entire back catalog into "The Things That Help Me Get Through." Through all this though, The Sound of Sunshine remains listenable, with only a few moments of true excruciation. I hope Franti can take that as a positive.
--Sandy Powell
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