Michael Franti's musical style has evolved in an unusual direction in the past 20 years. Franti began performing in the late 1980s with the industrial punk group The Beatnigs, known for a relentless barrage of noise and political lyrics. Then, in the early 1990s, he started the San Francisco hip-hop group Spearhead. Now, rebranded Michael Franti & Spearhead due to legal complications, he writes beach-friendly pop songs, tours with John Mayer, and can even be found on mainstream radio, thanks in part to last year's single "Say Hey (I Love You)."
Franti and Spearhead's seventh studio album, The Sound of Sunshine, will be released Sept. 21, and much of it was written while Franti was recovering from a burst appendix. As a result, the album's vibe stays true to its title -- it's full of gratitude, love and even some dance beats. Franti goes into detail about the album in an interview with host David Dye and performs songs from his upcoming album in the World Cafe studio.
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