''All People'' is an album by the American band

Michael Franti & Spearhead Michael Franti (born April 21, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, poet, activist, documentarian, and rapper. Known for his participation in many musical projects, most with a political and social emphasis, including the Beatnigs ...

, released in 2013 through Boo Boo Wax and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The first single was "I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like)". Franti supported the album with North American and Australian tours. In 2014, he continued to promote ''All People'' by headlining the Soulshine Music and Yoga Tour.

Production

The majority of the album was recorded in Hunters Point, with some of the mixing occurring while the band was on tour. The album continued Franti's turn toward pop music; he had concluded that a pop song could be as comforting and meaningful as a protest song. For the first time in his career, Franti worked with outside songwriters and producers, including

Sam Hollander Sam Hollander is an American songwriter. He has collaborated with Panic! at the Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, blink-182, Train, Ringo Starr, Carole King, Katy Perry, Boys Like Girls, Metro Station, Billy Idol, Def Leppar ...

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

, and Adrian Newman. Franti recorded around 35 songs and listened to the rough mixes while doing his morning yoga, to ensure that they were properly "inspiring". He also wanted the tracks to incorporate dance influences, with some geared toward club play. "Say Goodbye" is about the murder of

Trayvon Martin Trayvon Benjamin Martin (February 5, 1995 – February 26, 2012) was a 17-year-old African-American from Miami Gardens, Florida, who was killing of Trayvon Martin, fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic an ...

. A version of "11:59" was written around 2003; Franti finished the chorus for it after surviving a ruptured appendix. K'naan guested on "Earth from Outer Space".

Critical reception

Postmedia Network Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is an American-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in En ...

called the album "an infectiously sunny synthesis of pop, reggae, hip-hop and indie-folk." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' noted that "Franti's peace 'n' love MO has veered toward full-on jam pop for several years now, so mainstream-y anthems like the Euro-disco title track are really no big leap." ''

Bass Player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low bra ...

'' labeled ''All People'' Franti's "most heavily produced, studio programmed album yet". ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, th ...

'' deemed it "sun-soaked pop music with feel-good, bumper sticker-style wisdom presented as insightful commentary." ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'' said that Franti "evokes an array of resemblances, some vague, some strong: to Bob Marley, G-Love, Everlast, UB40." ''

Tucson Weekly The ''Tucson Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that was founded in 1984 by Douglas Biggers and Mark Goehring, and serves the Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area of about 1,000,000 residents. The paper is a member of the Association of Altern ...

'' opined that while "the message of universal equality f the title trackis spot-on and encouraging, Franti's rap-bridge lyrics about rocking everywhere can be terrible."

Track listing

References

{{Michael Franti Michael Franti albums 2013 albums Capitol Records albums