Album Review: Michael Franti & Spearhead - Soulrocker

A full 24 years since his Disposable Heroes Of Hip-Hoprisy condemned television as feeding ignorance and breeding radiation, Michael Franti's ninth Spearhead album focuses more on the good times with less emphasis on world-weary rhymes.

My Lord and Still Standing employ some astonishingly over-trodden Avicii-lite rave moves and Franti has never sounded so banally generic. When turning to reggae (Once A Day, My Favourite Wine Is Tequila) the vibes absolutely smoke and one is left wanting for much more. As such, one half of Soulrocker seems a 'true' Spearhead record, while the other is simply irksome.