Michael Franti’s eighth studio album, The Sound of Sunshine, is set to drop on August 24th via his new-old record label – Columbia. It will be following in the foot steps of 2008’s All Rebel Rockers, which peaked at no. 37 on Billboard’s Top 200 and is his most commercially successful record to date.
Most of the new album was recorded during Franti’s opening gig on John Mayer’s winter tour using a portable recording rig, and the band, Spearhead, used its live sets to road test and tweak songs before recording them in arenas, hotels, and locker rooms around the country.
“Every day we’d play the songs and then go back into the dressing room and go, ‘Y’know, the chorus needs a different chord change’ or ‘The audience wasn’t dancing to it as much,” Franti told Billboard.com, “We would record the drums and guitars right there and I’d take the rig into my hotel room at night and record the vocals all night long.” By the sound of the results, the 44-year-old is trying his best to do good by his new bosses.
The nearly four-minute title track is the album’s second single, and will probably land on Top 40 radio. The intro sounds eerily like Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and the rest of the song track a strummy pop tune that is full of harmonies and bouncy acoustic guitars. Franti has admitted wanting to get away from a the strictly reggae vibe on All Rebel Rockers and used the acoustic guitar to write most of The Sound of Sunshine.
“There’s a lot of acoustic on this record,” said Franti, “you can dance to every song, but they’re not all club bangers like you’re used to…they’re more like dance music from around the world.”
Check out this video of Franti playing “The Sound of Sunshine” at tour stop in Ybor City, Fla., then dance to the new tunes yourself at one the shows listed below. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com
Michael Franti 2010 Tour Dates:
06/26 – Taos, NM @ Taos Solar Music Festival
07/03 – Sioux City, IA @ Saturday in the Park Festival
07/04 – Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park
07/15 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion #
07/16 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre #
07/18 – Alta, WY @ Grand Targhee Resort
07/22 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre for Music
07/23 – Calgary, AB @ Calgary Folk Music Festival
07/24 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre
07/27 – Park City, UT @ Deer Valley Resort %
07/29 – Aspen, CO @ The Belly Up – Aspen #
07/30 – Aspen, CO @ The Belly Up – Aspen #
07/31 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
08/01 – Durango, CO @ Animas Cliffs
08/04 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
08/05 – Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
08/06 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater
08/07 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Amphitheater
08/10 – Eagle, ID @ Eagle River Pavilion
08/11 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theatre
08/12 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theatre
08/13 – Sandpoint, ID @ The Festival at Sandpoint
08/14 – Billings, MT @ Magic City Blues Festival
08/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Beach at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
08/26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
08/27 – Live Oak, FL @ Black Water Sol Revue
08/28 – North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
08/29 – Richmond, VA @ The National
08/31 – Charlotte, NC @ The Neighborhood Theatre
09/02 – Sailing Southern Ground ^
09/19 – Laytonville, CA @ EarthDance: United Beats of Peace Festival
* = w/ One eskimO
# = w/ Brett Dennen
% = w/ Jimmy Cliff
^ = w/ Zac Brown Band