jeffvrabel.com I humorist and music writer

Billboard — Michael Franti spent the past few years documenting the chaos in the Middle East, penning a children’s book and, with 2006′s “Yell Fire!,” stoking the kind of pointed political fire for which he’s become so well-known. Like “Yell Fire!,” this set was tracked in Jamaica with go-to producers Sly & Robbie and is as much of a dub- and soul-infused party record as Franti has ever delivered. Sure, he’s incapable of keeping politics out of his voice, but tracks like “A Little Bit of Riddim,” “Life in the City” and the soaring first single “Hey World (Remote Control Version)” are aimed squarely at the feet rather than the heart. The second half tends to meander en route to a crisp acoustic finale called “Have a Little Faith,” but the killer tracks here—and there are many—make for Franti’s sweatiest recent arguments that hope springs eternal.

• Michael Franti and Spearhead – Hey World (Remote Control Version).mp3