Michael Franti And Spearhead
Yell Fire!
Liberator/Boo Boo Wax

The tremendous start to this album is exactly that, with the middle and back-half bringing the excitement level down quite dramatically. An anti-climax, dare I say, and one which is a personal disappointment. 'Yell Fire!' is not a bad album, indeed, it's quite good, but I would have loved Michael Franti to keep up his initial righteous rage and truths, rather than take a breather both musically and lyrically. 'Yell Fire!' is a holistic look at human rights, from the initial outrage, to determined struggle, simple joys, sadness and courage in despair. It's a lot of ground to cover and given the range of perspectives and emotions, Franti has done it quite well.

Time To Go Home opens strongly, Franti's lyrics poignant in bitter irony that cuts straight to the heart. "Don't take our boys away, no/Don't take our girls away, no" Franti sings ever so softly and sweetly, the sadness and rage giving the words tremendous bite. Yell Fire! continues voicing the injustices of the war with the lyrics and music alternating the impact. I Know I'm Not Alone is beautifully sad, again demonstrating the strength of Franti's lyrics at his most determined and passionate.

Things slow down from here. It's quite a change. The lyrics of Hello Bonjour somehow come across a little trite, coupled with lethargic delivery and the oh-so-average reggae music. See You In The Light is a delicate and peaceful song, but compared to the opening three songs, seems lacklustre. 'Yell Fire!' may come good over time but for the moment appears a decent, but not great album.

Steven Williams