Michael Franti

Originally released in Australia in 2002, Michael Franti’s much bootlegged and downloaded album, Songs From the Front Porch: An Acoustic Collection, has finally arrived on U.S shores. The ten-song opus from the Spearhead frontman features seven previously released tracks from that band’s acclaimed Stay Human, Everyone Deserves Music and Chocolate Supa Highway albums. All of the tracks were given the acoustic-guitar-and-light-percussion treatment, resulting in some soulful folk music. Three new songs, “Closer to the Sky,” “Firefly” and “Anybody Seen My Mind,” display typical Franti songwriting, advocating for love, peace and happiness. While hard-core Spearhead and Franti fans will be delighted by the reworked songs, newcomers would be better off trying out one of the previous albums before chillin’ on the porch with this one.