Customer Reviews

Home

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD on the strength of one song: Hole In The Bucket. The rest are as brilliant if not better. The great thing about Spearhead is that they have a concience, and a sense of irony and humour which shines through their music. Songs like Positive, Of Course You Can, and Crime To Be Broke In America all contain messages, but not such that you would be put off by them. The riffs, the shear rhythm of this CD is enough to keep you going back and listening to it again and again. I've yet to tire of it, and I've had it for over two years. I have to say that I'm glad that they're not more mainstream, as for me, they were a gem of a find.

OK, I don't usually listen to rap music ~ call it a character flaw if you will, but this CD should please the inexperienced ear as well as rap coinsures alike.

Prior to hearing 'Home' I had only been privy to raps' beginnings, the time when NWA and Public Enemy first began recording, driving to HS in a friend's car with the music bOOming, setting off car alarms all the way ~ I usually spent first and second period with a headache. Subsequently, I didn't listen to much of it on my own. Then another (concerned) friend introduced me to Spearhead. I was reluctant at first, naturally, but I was literally amazed when I opened up to it.

Of course it's got the token sound: heavy on the bass and drum, a little scratching and a few other turntable tricks here and there which all seem to work, but at its very core 'Home' is a wonder.

First of all there is the song writing which is, fresh, original, and melodic. The music itself has a nice conglomeration of rhythm and blues, rap and funk so that you're not bogged down in a bass line that repeats over and over for 4 minutes with no other elements except tired lyrics to break up the monotony. Each songs' structure is rich in a variety of instruments including guitar, keyboards, conga, and saxophone.

The lyrics on the CD is what grabbed me secondly ~ well-conceived, socially conscious words that flow easily through each track into the next like poetry. Some of the tunes boast lyrics with the hard edge that one would expect from a rap group, but they're not entirely about 'cruising down the street in my '64' and they're definitely not ordinary. Rather, they're lyrics are less esoteric than anything I've heard from a rap group and more about all of us (IMO). There is a nice balance here between songs of 'desperation,' lighthearted incidental tunes and songs of love, 'Red Beans and Rice' being the pinnacle of the groups' sense of humor and probably the best track on the album.

Third is the vocals, mostly derived from Michael Franti's guttural velvet voice, but also from the more than competent female backing vocalist who adds equal parts of harmony and feminine love to the tracks. The two complement each other quite well bring a nice contrast in flavor.

Lastly, the production of the album is first rate. Even the most busy tunes on the album, those that have a wide variety of instruments recurring, lead and backing vocals, and the DJ doing his thing, are mixed perfectly. The overall effect is an album that is rich, tribal, stylish, beautiful, and presented in such a way that all these elements shine through clearly.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys rap music, or who would like to, but it doesn't stop there ~ if you like R&B, funk, or drum and bass you'll most definitely dig this release. Check it out!

How to find enough praise for Michael Franti & Spearhead's "Home." It was one of the finest albums of current American music on its release and it remains so. Starting right with "People in the middle" - Franti shows an ability to use his words to create visual images and palpable emotions. His clear, strong voice embraces a myriad of styles and his message - a mixture of social commentary and humor - means his intent is never in doubt.

As terrific as "Home" is, it is but a foreshadowing of some of the work Michael would bring to us in later efforts. It is, a fantastic introduction to the work of one of America's greatest current artists - and one of the world's most beautiful people.

I typically don't listen to the hip-hop style of music that this album contains. I bought it because I heard and liked "Positive". After hearing the whole CD once, I was in love. Every tune has positive lyrics aimed at making the world a better place (Hole in the Bucket) and honoring those who have done so (Dream Team). I love every song on the album and know practially all the words. I would recommend this CD to ANYONE, regardless of musical taste.

I recently completed a two year stint of service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Russia, and Spearhead played a vital role in my success there. I brought about fifty discs with me and, as you can imagine, some of them grew stale. But Spearhead, night after vodka night, remained fresh and kept the vibe up in my little, concrete flat as Russian friends filed through to boogy down American style (well, their vodka, my music). Although I was impressed with their knowledge of American and British artists, no Russian I met had ever heard of Spearhead, but no Russian ever left without asking to borrow my disc. The soulful nature of this album transcended national boundaries and brought a good deal of "good press" across the now defunct and rusting Iron Curtain. More important than these late-night vodka grinds was the use of Spearhead in a very successful lesson. I used the music and lyrics from "Hole in the Bucket" to teach my students at Saratov State University some much needed contemporary phrasing. Generally calm and, by our standards, rigid in the classroom, you should have seen the shoulders begin to shimmy! If they were standing, I'm sure a groove thing would have shaken. On top of the non-traditional but helpful language exchange this fostered, it also led into a week's worth of cultural issues which culminated in very interesting essays. So, in the end this becomes a thank you note to Mr. Franti and his group: thank you for making Russia groove and for your intelligent lyrics which lent themselves nicely to the lessons of a bleary-eyed instructor of the English language.

This was a great CD, and band for that matter that I found out about through word of mouth. I am a very picky listener and this is one of the very few albums that I can listen to at all times of the day. It isn't too rap or too blues it's a combination of it all that can relax you, pump you up, and just get drunk to. I highly recommend this CD for any person that's sick of everything that you hear on the radio.

I'm just gonna cut through the bull here. This album truly succeeds where Lauryn Hill's wildly hyped and largely overblown solo debut utimately fails, in my not-so-humble opinion. Whereas Miseducation sounded forced and somewhat pretentious in its overall execution, Home (released four years prior) comes away feeling loose, natural, and sincere in almost every way imaginable. The music is mostly provided by REAL musicians, which was kind of revolutionary for its time. As a result, the grooves flow freely and in step throughout. There's absolutely no need to adjust the volume control if the beats get a bit TOO harsh to the point of distracting the listener from the rest of the music. Michael Franti's lyricism also blows away anything Lauryn ever managed to come up with on her own set, for he speaks of topics so hard-hitting and relevant to this VERY DAY that it's almost a crying shame that the man continues to get overlooked as one of the finest, most a-r-t-i-c-u-l-a-t-e hip-hop lyricists around. I mean who else could've come up with something as catchy, fun, and inventive as "Red Beans and Rice" and actually get away with it!?!?!?

Come to think of it, what HAS Lauryn done after Miseducation while Franti and his Spearhead crew continue to crank out essential listening material at every turn??? Hmmm, not just another question to throw out there I suppose...

In the meantime this album (and perhaps even Stay Human-Franti's rather unique take on capital punishment) needs to be in EVERYONE'S collection, seriously.

This CD is both musically complex, and lyrically challenging. Franti's music highlights his 70's/80's funk, soul, and R&B (if they still call it that)roots. As for his message, unlike more prominent rap acts (e.g. Public Enemy), Franti is not so heavy-handed, but more thought provoking. Instead of focusing on an easy target like race, he has attacked HIV and poverty. Both "Hole in the Bucket" and "Positive" are amazing songs, carefully crafted so as to not be too simple/blatant. This is a tremendous CD and artist.

In a time when commercial Hiphop was steadily creeping to where it is now,
lack of intelligence,
lack of originality,
lack of soul,
came this little contribution from Mr. Michael Franti.
Soulful, Intelligent, Original and just a joy to listen to.
One of the most memorable moments of hiphop in the 90?s.

Seriously, this has everything. It technically a rap album. But with so much soul, funk, reggae it's not like any other made. It sounds very 70's in parts, and old school when it does rap.

The lyrics are some of the best. The first two tracks are just good songs. After that, every song is a story with a philosophy behind it. It's amazing to be so message oriented and still just sound good and make you move. Franti is a first rate songwriter who gets way too little attention.

Whether he's talking about getting tested for HIV, Peace as something you can give to everyone in pieces, Finding a hero in your father and not giving up, or just eating a plain ol' plate of Red Beans and Rice and being content are messages of wisdom. My favorite is the guy who's is having an argument with himself of whether to help a bum, when the bum was trying to help him back the whole time and he was too wrapped up in his head to pay attention to reality. Pure poetry.

Franti will be a talent. It's in his blood to be musical, and to be lyrical.

I can't imagine an informed musical collection that doesn't have this in it. It's what writing songs is all about: Dancing, Singing, Message, Ear Candy and FUN!