The Sound of Sunshine

Michael Franti & Spearhead | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 2010)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B003PJ7K38
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,247 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 release from Michael Franti And Spearhead. The Sound Of Sunshine is a kind of musical sun shower, a bright, beautiful and often buoyant song cycle created to bring all kinds of listeners a sense of hope during rough and rainy times for so many in our world. In the mid-'90s, Franti first formed Spearhead, and increasingly in recent years, he's found his own voice musically and his own organic brand of popular success. Franti and Spearhead's last album, 2008's All Rebel Rockers, recorded in Jamaica with legendary producers and players Sly & Robbie, became the biggest hit of Franti's career.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lighting The World October 1, 2010

By Dharmabum

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

First I like to say that my wife and I have over 1,000 albums from various genres, but Michael Franti has a special place in our hearts. He gives every bit of himself into his music and truly cares about people. Don't you want to be listening to someone who is trying to change the world and does it by living by example? Who inspires you to do the same? How do I know this? Because I just saw him in concert here in Austin, TX last Wednesday.

He first held a contest, giving free two tickets away, and letting the women who won introduce him and the band. Then he took a tired over worked crowd and got them jumping. He gave everyone of his band a place in the spotlight. As his love spread like wildfire throughout the crowd, he took a three year old little boy named Milo on stage. Milo and Michael danced and sang. He called out to the grandmothers in the balcony,he played his guitar throughout the crowd, he paid a special notice to the people in the back and got on a platform and played in front of them, he got a family on stage and got dad shaking, he sang from his heart, and ended the night with a choir of kids dancing and singing on stage. I've never seen someone who gave so much of himself to lighten the hearts and minds of people. I could only put it on par as what a Bob Marley show would be like. This man is a prophet of love and light that has found the thread that connects us all and doesn't care about money, but people. On that note about the album:

The Sound of Sunshine is an ode to the thankfulness of being alive and being thankful for those life's treasures, those individuals around you. He explained at the show that he almost died on tour from a infection from a ruptured appendix.... It brought him to his knees in humility and thankfulness for his life and how short it really is...
The Sound of Sunshine is an story of inspiration that shines into the darkness of this world, with a hope of something greater than lives within us all.....if we can only dream, believe, try, work, and become....

I am a father of 3 and when this world brings me down...this album give me the encouragement to pick myself up to finish my degree and remember how short this all is...what am I giving to others? What am I leaving behind?
What do I want people to remember me as...

But don't take my word for it....experience it for yourself!

Don't give up on yourself or those around you... Read more ›

49 of 64 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I would expect from a MF&S album September 25, 2010

By BonusCup99

Format:Audio CD

I'd like to start off by saying that this album sounds great. It's well produced and for what they are, the songs aren't bad. It's nice to listen to

At the same time, I have a feeling that anyone who's been listening to Michael Franti for more than the last 18 months or so might be deeply disappointed. This is not similar to the thoughtful, driving music they used to do. Unfortunately this CD is pretty much forgettable commercial fluff. There's nothing of real value in here that's going to stick to your mind which really is a shame, because the earlier material, while not quite as catchy and radio-ready, really was very very intelligent. This is the polar opposite of his work with Disposable Heroes. Unfortunately, the introduction a lot of people had to his music was most likely with the song "Say Hey". It's a really catchy song and I'm happy for them to have finally broken through. However, I suspect that most people who are really into "Say Hey" would be really disappointed with the amazing concept album "Stay Human". While I understand that there's room for both, it would be nice to have seen both represented. Franti is an interesting guy politically and I think that coming on the heels of a successful single, this would have been a great opportunity to mingle some fluff with some thought, hopefully expanding on the fan base that's been loyal to this group for years. It's a shame, but this album is probably going to bring more parrotheads than thinkers out of the woodwork.

On one hand, I'm happy for the band because they've worked hard for this. On the other hand, this album is going to make it really hard to take Michael Franti and Spearhead seriously in the future as anything more than another commercial outfit.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Evolution October 14, 2010

By Big Muff

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

As you can hear Michael Franti and Spearhead keep evolving as seen in this latest release. The music and lyrics are personal (as always) and you can feel that they're at a great place in their lives. Not as political as in other releases but this is almost a political statement in itself as America is being torn apart by extremism. This is a beautiful album, if I had a complaint it would be that it is to short at 43 minutes. Some of the previous reviews give low ratings due to the evolution of the band, this argument doesn't hold water if you understand that it's a story of life, love and compassion. This is a must own album for the hardcore or casual Spearhead fans.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another solid Franti album! September 23, 2010

By W. Taygan

Format:MP3 Music

If you've never been to a mind-blowing Spearhead show, check out "The Sound of Sunshine." From the radio-friendly California summer-jam title track, the disc leads into an All Rebel Rockers style dance-hall Jamaican "Shake it" and continues with "Hey Hey Hey" and "Anytime you Need Me" two tracks that could easily have been on Yell Fire or Everyone Deserves Music. A solid get up and dance intro. From there Franti heads into some newish ground with a straight-up rock song, back to old-school reggae and then brings it around to another summer-jam soon to be hit "Love Don't Wait." Another dabble in straight-up rock, and then some nice smooth bring-it-down tunes. Nice! This is obviously another love song album, not seen since Songs From the Front Porch: An Acoustic Collection His overt politics are sadly and conspicuously missing, but maybe after 3 hardcore political albums a little break for some positive vibes is needed. Recommended for fans and newbies alike!