Search - Spearhead, Michael Franti :: Stay Human

Stay Human
Spearhead, Michael Franti
Stay Human
Genres: Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock
 
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...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Spearhead, Michael Franti
Title: Stay Human
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Six Degrees
Release Date: 5/15/2001
Genres: Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop, R&B, Rock
Styles: West Coast, Experimental Rap, Pop Rap, Soul
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 657036104822, 0724381026656, 724353341220, 9399700086379, 657036104822

Synopsis

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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Member CD Reviews

Susan H. from MURRYSVILLE, PA
Reviewed on 11/15/2010...
This is a great CD ~ not at all what I expected, but even better. The music is great and the social commentary is riviting. The subtitle of the group is "Conscious Music for the Masses, and is produced by Micheal Franti in connection with stayhuman.org.

The social commentary is in regards to a ficticous character named Sister Fatima, who is wrongly convicted of murder and in spite of new evidence is put to death. Between songs there are 'interviews' with Sister, government officials and people in the community that call into the radio station.

Highly recommended ..
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Mary L. (marymix) from NANTUCKET, MA
Reviewed on 12/11/2009...
The CD is a fiction within a fiction - recorded as if it were a radio show, with DJs talking between the songs. The DJs are discussing a (made-up) death penalty case and the story progresses during the breaks between tracks. The liner notes include quotes from various celebrities speaking out against the death penalty. The songs are follow the theme. Interesting concept CD.

CD Reviews

Mostly great
Joey Narcotic | New Zealand | 05/25/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."