ALL REBEL ROCKERS SCORES TOP 40 POSITION ON BILLBOARD

Franti Revels In Dub Groove On 'Rebel Rockers!

In the past four years, Michael Franti traveled into the hearts of Baghdad, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to shoot his documentary "I Know I'm Not Alone" and its audio companion "Yell Fire!," and he wrote a children's book, "What I Be."

So you can't blame him for wanting to blow off a little steam. "All Rebel Rockers" (out Sept. 9 on Anti-) is that release. Despite its revolutionary-sounding title, it's a groove-heavy and often joyous affair shot through with the dub and reggae-club sounds of its Jamaican birthplace.

"I've definitely never left the political behind," Franti says, "But absolutely we wanted to make this a fun record, to make music that could be socially engaging and challenging for this crazy time but would leave people inspired and uplifted."

"Rude Boys Back In Town" wastes no time in conjuring up a dub groove, while the sun-splashed "Life in the City" backs into the club-worthy singalong "Hey World (Remote Control Version)," the latter of which is now available online. The set was recorded mostly in Kingston with Jamaican production mainstays Sly and Robbie.

"In Jamaica, the music's not on iPods," Franti says. "You hear it first on a studio sound system. The door to the studio's wide open, and people are coming in off the street, dancing and grooving. There was a guy in the corner I'd never seen before saying, 'Hey mon, you know you need another keyboard to come in right there,' and I was like, 'What the hell, are you producing the record?' But I listened, and I was like, 'Damn, he's right.'"

Yell Fire!

In 2004 Michael Franti decided to ‘walk his talk’ and traveled to the war zones of Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This wasn’t a USO green zone sponsored visit – Franti and his team organized a trip that would take him to the core of the red-zoned, war torn neighborhoods of Baghdad, the West Bank and Gaza Strip with his guitar, video cameras and the intent to experience first hand the human cost of war. Out of this journey, Franti has created a compelling documentary film titled I Know I’m Not Alone and a searing, reflective new album of original songs titled Yell Fire! recorded in Kingston, Jamaica and Franti’s hometown of San Francisco, California.

Ironically, Franti’s journey to the war-ravaged Middle East inspired his most uplifting set of songs to date. He explains, “The thing that I found when I was in war zones was that nobody wants to hear songs about war. They want to hear songs about connection to people, and songs about love and life, songs that make them dance.” It was legendary Island Records founder and Franti cohort, Chris Blackwell, who suggested that Kingston, Jamaica would provide the perfect backdrop for translating these impulses to tape.

Franti has always spoken his mind through his music: from his early punk rock band Beatnigs, to the industrial-noise of Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, to the thinking-man’s hip-hop of Spearhead. “In the past, we’ve touched on a lot of genres of music,” Franti says, “but this is an album where all those things have been rolled into one. I feel this is our best record yet.” Songs like ‘Yell Fire!’ and ‘Time To Go Home’ are calls to action: in the streets, at home, and in our own hearts. Other songs such as “I Know I’m Not Alone,” an uplifting blast of hope, “One Step Closer To You” featuring a soulful backing vocal by Pink, and the beautiful “Is Love Enough?’ featuring reggae star Gentleman, tap into the album’s compassionate side.

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