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All Rebel Rockers

Michael Franti / Spearhead

All Rebel Rockers

by Jim Fahy

One of the most moving and politically charged writers, Michael Franti and his band Spearhead, return with their eagerly awaited album, All Rebel Rockers. Franti, a pioneer of early industrial music and radical hip-hop, has never been afraid to speak his mind or seek the truth. The man has balls so big that he walked around the Middle East with just a small camera crew and an acoustic guitar just to find out what the fuck has been going on. That film, I Know I’m Not Alone, was released right before his last album, Yell Fire, which, at the time, was a career high – but it looks like All Rebel Rockers might change all that. Recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, with reggae's most prolific production team, Sly & Robbie (No Doubt, Alicia Keys, Sean Paul, Bob Dylan), this new release deviates from Franti's previous sound and comprises a hybrid dub-infused soul flavor with some hard-hitting dub rock production. Alongside Dave Shul (guitars), Manas Itene (drums), Carl Young (bass) and Raleigh Neal (keyboards), the album also features Zap Mama founder Marie Daulne and Jamaican soul/dancehall star Cherine Anderson. You need this.

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