TO ORDER + + + RECENT REVIEWS: 4/23/97: John Prine Live on Tour 4/22/97: The afterlife of Charles Mingus 4/21/97: Pavement Live at the Warfield, S.F. 4/18/97: The London Suede "Coming Up" 4/17/97: John Coltrane "Blue Train" + + + SEARCH MUSIC ARCHIVES BY: Artist Genre Title Reviewer Date MUSIC FEATURES ARCHIVE + + +

spearhead_____ CHOCOLATE SUPA HIGHWAY | C A P I T O L it makes sense that Spearhead leader Michael Franti's musical journeys have evolved at such a frantic pace. Having gone from adopted black boy in the rural white world of Davis, Calif., to 30-year-old soul man getting by in San Francisco's rough Hunter's Point neighborhood, Franti's life is constantly reflected in his music -- whether it's in the Beatnigs' chaotic coffeehouse anarchy, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's Chomsky-ite rabble-rousing or the roots explorations of Spearhead. On so many levels, Franti's music is his life. On "Chocolate Supa Highway," Franti slides toward a more accessible sound. Where Spearhead's acclaimed 1994 release "Home" had a sound as warm and playful as early Sly and the Family Stone ("Hole in the Bucket" eventually became a sleeper hit on MTV's Buzz Bin), the more worldly and direct "Chocolate Supa Highway" is head-nodding hip-hop for 1997. But Franti's childlike spirit can still be found in the driver's seat, as on "Gas Gauge," which best shows off the album's thread of cool funk. As is often the case with Franti's uneven recordings, his adventurous spirit raises the music to sublime heights -- he seems most comfortable on "Tha Payroll," "Why Oh Why" and "Ganja Babe" -- but it's that same spirit that occasionally gets the artist into trouble. He brings remarkable range to each song, but often reaches beyond his grasp. On "Wayfaring Stranger," he's joined by Joan Osborne, whose ethereal vocals only sound out of place when married to his explicit lyrics. And when he recasts "Water Pistol Man" as a Gil Scott-Heron-style soul groove ("the power of one man seems like a small squirt/when he aims at the flames of the whole earth/but the fire starts at home"), his overbroad ambition seems unfocused, despite the perfectly soothing backing vocals of Trinna Simmons. Anyone who's heard the fine things he and Charlie Hunter did with this song back in the day of the Disposable Heroes will find the "Supa Chocolate Highway" version disappointing. Still, Franti's highs wouldn't be so high without the letdowns, and his failings almost always turn out to be incidental. In the end, Spearhead's music is all about the trip -- and "Chocolate Supa Highway" travels well. April 24, 1997 -- Donnell Alexander Donnell Alexander is a features writer at the L.A. Weekly. BOOKMARK: http://www.salonmagazine.com/sharps/sharps.html