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Michael Franti has plenty of love to share on “Stay Human Vol. II.”, his 10th studio album release with his longtime band, Spearhead.

One would think Stay Human Volume II  is related to Franti’s 2001 Stay Human album. But it serves as a soundtrack to his recent documentary film also titled Stay Human.  Franti describes the film as, “a journey through music and stories of some of the most inspiring individuals on the planet. Amazing people I’ve met on my travels around the globe who have overcome cynicism with optimism, hope, tenacity, music, and love–and remind us all what it means to STAY HUMAN”.

That pretty much sums up “Stay Human Vol. II.” It’s a record that’s overflowing with positivity. In these deeply divided times, Franti gives listeners about 45 minutes of nothing but good vibes, optimism and a charge to take that feeling out into the world.

Even when he’s spreading the love, Franti never strays far from social activism – a constant over his 30-year career. There are love songs for his wife, love songs for his fans and love songs for humanity – all woven around Franti’s signature reggae-infused pop beat.

Stay Human II is one of Michael Franti & Spearhead’s strongest releases yet and even though every song on the album gets a thumbs up from us, here are our five stand out tracks from the album we have on repeat.

1. “When The Sun Begins To Shine”

Franti and his band traveled down a grittier path on When The Sun Begins To Shine, thanks to a bluesy guitar riff, foot-stomping hand claps a rollicking piano. By the end, you’ll no doubt be clapping along and singing the anthemic chorus like a champion stepping into a triumphant destiny, which is how the song will make you feel

2. “Just To Say I Love You”

The steel drums and reggae beats break out on Just To Say I Love You. It begins with just a ukulele and Franti’s voice before the full band eventually kicks in to have you happily chanting in unison with the baritone lead chorus, “Your love is all I ever wanted”. The video features Franti’s real-life wife, Sara Franti and is possibly one of the most endearing and genuine love stories ever narrated in a rock video.

3. “The Flower” featuring Victoria Canal

“We could be the healing, we can be the flower in the gun,” he implores on “The Flower,” a duet with Victoria Canal. A powerful music video, featuring survivors and family members of victims of recent school shootings, drives his point home.

 

4. “Show Me Your Peace Sign”

 “Show Me Your Peace Sign,” touches on all of Franti and Spearhead’s strengths and is one of the strongest anthems of the album You will find yourself singing out loud with uninhibited joy, flashing your peace sign in the air, even if you are driving alone in your car. Franti sings of inclusive, universal love (“It’s the little things in this great big world / And it don’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl / And it don’t matter if you’re someone in between”) and then rallies us to mobilize for peace with (“I want to be standing next to you / When the revolution comes”) that make it an exquisite protest anthem for the modern world.

 

5. “Little Things”

The album begins with some lyrical nostalgia with its lead track, Little Things for the good old days when “a bar fight used to be a fistfight” and “a concert used to be fun, nobody running for the exit”. The breezy anthem is an uplifting ditty with a huge chorus where Franti urges the listener to “throw a smile at someone passing by you”. With Franti, his lyrical urging never comes across as nagging but as the kind of urging you welcome and feel uplifted by.