CD Review: Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke, “Rise and Shine”

I’ve listened to more children’s albums than I can count, and I don’t think any of them have sounded less like a children’s album than Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke’s Rise and Shine. This isn’t a bad thing at all — in fact, each of these 10 songs is completely appropriate for children. It’s just that most kids’ music, no matter how skillfully or smartly it’s put together, sounds at least a little condescending — like adults trying to record songs kids will like — and Rise and Shine, in blessed contrast, comes across simply as a collection of music that ended up in the kids’ section through a series of happy accidents.

Again, this isn’t a matter of the subject material being over the little ones’ heads; Rise and Shine’s songs deal with topics including pets, trucks, space travel, counting, and something called peekapoo. But Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke don’t pander with their arrangements, which are stripped-down, folk-flavored, and often totally rockin’ in the bargain — not to mention catchy, too. Rise and Shine is the kind of record you could listen to two or three times without realizing it was made with kids in mind.

Which is not to say the album lacks kid appeal; quite the contrary, as Rise and Shine is not only packed with ready-made favorites for the younger set (“Rattling Can,” which uses a brilliant, progressively lengthening “Old McDonald’s”-style chorus to describe the order of the universe, is at the top of my daughter’s list), but it comes bundled with a board book that illustrates many of the songs’ stories. The end result, as I can personally attest, is that your little ones will spend half an hour flipping through the book, completely mesmerized, while Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke entertain the whole family. Don’t go looking for Laurie Berkner levels of cuteness, but if your kids like a little genuine rock & roll in their musical diet, Rise and Shine is one to look for.

CD Review: Earthworm Ensemble, “Earthworm Ensemble”

Kindie bands don’t come much more aptly named than the Earthworm Ensemble, a huge, eco-friendly gaggle of musicians including members of I See Hawks, members of the seemingly ever-expanding Chapin family, and assorted friends and relations. (Seriously, 22 people are listed in the liner notes.) For all the talent involved, Earthworm Ensemble often feels more diffuse than it should; it’s a pleasantly shambolic album, one with countless charming folk and country touches in a genre that never has enough of them, but the songs tend to meander.

Still, the Ensemble has its heart squarely in the right place, and what it might lack in old-fashioned songcraft, the album makes up for with the sort of raw, homespun feel that’s been all too absent from kids’ music since Garcia and Grisman were in the studio recording Not for Kids Only. And for families interested in teaching their children about things like composting and gardening, it’s hard to argue with tracks like “That’s What the Earthworm’s For” and “Corn.” Children’s records don’t get much timelier, or more well-meaning, than this.

CD Review: Charity and the JAMband, “Party Like a Twinkle Star”

Most kids’ music doesn’t exactly sit at the compositional vanguard of popular song, and although the genre certainly boasts more than its share of virtuosos — now more than ever, in fact — it isn’t the type of music you turn to for instrumental chops. Leave it to an outfit calling itself Charity and the JAMband to try and change all that: Over the course of several albums, this San Francisco-based collective has added a whiff of patchouli and the crunch of granola to the Cheerios-predominated kindie landscape, and their latest, titled Party Like a Twinkle Star, might be their most adventurous yet.

A double-disc affair clocking in at over an hour and 15 minutes, Party offers 20 tracks, divided evenly between 10 uptempo numbers (“for rocking out”) and 10 gentle ballads (“for tucking in”). Charity and the JAMband are every bit as proficient at rocking out as you might expect, but it’s the lullabies that truly shine — Charity’s voice boasts an extra tinge of sweetness on the second disc, and although I wouldn’t hesitate to play the first disc during rowdy moments with the kids, I’d actually be happy listening to the second one when the little ones aren’t around. Hear samples (and buy the whole thing) at CD Baby.

CD Reviews: Music for Little People, “Pickin’ & Grinnin’” and “Love & Peace”

Music for Little People turns 25 this year, and they’re celebrating by releasing a pair of compilations that reflect their quarter-century dedication to helping parents entertain kids: Pickin’ & Grinnin’: Great Folk Songs for Kids and Love & Peace: Greatest Hits for Kids. Between them, you get 32 tracks from a pleasing variety of performers from across the kids’ music spectrum, and though they’re arranged thematically, both collections are similar enough — and they both include songs from so many talented artists — that either one will suit pretty much any family mood.

Both compilations include a number of kiddie giants — Raffi, who I hate, pops up on both of them — but you can expect plenty of surprises, too. Buckweat Zydeco and Bonnie Raitt appear on Pickin’ & Grinnin’, for instance, and on Love & Peace, you’ll hear Faith Hill, Sheila E., and AC/DC’s Brian Johnson (the latter popping up, along with some kids, on a sweeter-than-you’d-expect version of “If I Had a Hammer”).

All in all, it’s really entertaining stuff, and although the current age of mp3s, iPods, and burned CDs has left us less reliant than ever on label-curated compilations, both Pickin’ & Grinnin’ and Love & Peace are perfect for keeping handy in the car for long family car rides. They’re also great for educators (as my kindergarten-teaching wife can attest), or anyone who finds themselves responsible for wrangling a group of little people. You could seek most of this stuff out on your own, but really, any albums that collect songs from Taj Mahal, Pete Seeger, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Los Lobos, Maria Muldaur, Dan Zanes, Woody Guthrie — and many, many more — are worth celebrating, aren’t they? For any parent who’s building a kindie collection, these two CDs are a splendid way to start, blending time-tested classics and new favorites with style. Wonderful, just wonderful.

DVD review: “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs”

You can add Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to the list of entertaining family films that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Funny, irreverent and sometimes emotionally resonant, this film, based on the children’s book by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett, is one of the few animated films that succeed without having the word “Pixar” attached to it. It’s no surprise that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was hit in theaters last fall. Some cynics might say that because the film was in 3-D this accounted for the film’s popularity. They’re wrong because even without the 3-D effects, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a great movie.

Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live and Superbad) stars at Flint Lockwood, an inventor who dreams of changing the lives of the citizen of his tiny hometown, Swallow Falls, loctaed on a tiny island located under the letter “A” in the word “Atlantic Ocean” on world maps. Swallow Falls used to be the sardine capital of the world, until the world realized that sardines are gross and stopped buying them. After years of invention mishaps (rat-birds, a remote control TV that walks away from its owner) Flint has created a machine that will create food out of water. Sounds ingenious, right? Well, it would be if Flint wasn’t a bit of a doofus.

The day he wants to test his experiment, the machine rockets into the sky and gets trapped in the clouds. With the moisture from the rain, Swallow Falls is suddenly raining cheeseburgers and snowing ice cream. Much to the dismay of Flint’s stoic father (wonderfully voiced by James Caan), Flint is cheered a hero and it’s not long before the corrupt mayor (Bruce Campbell, smarmy as always) schemes his way into Flint’s life to use the machine for his own greed. When things go haywire and giant food threatens to destroy Swallow Falls and then the world, it’s up to Flint, a plucky weather girl (delightfully done by Anna Farris) and Flint’s monkey assistant, Steve, to find some way to shut down his machine.

As directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, these talented men and their team of computer wizards have crafted a delightful movie, assembling a wonderful cast that doesn’t include one single superstar (unless you include Mr. T- who kicks ass, by the way). Hader is perfect as Flint, a performance full of life and charm. Likewise, Farris is fun in the role of Sam Sparks, the weather girl. The two of them have great screen chemistry; the warmth they bring to their roles, along with splendid comic timing, make Flint and Sam characters you want to root for. As I said, Mr. T, as over the top, hard nosed police man (who has a soft side for his son) is brilliant. Also in the cast is Andy Samberg, and in small roles, Benjamin Bratt and Neil Patrick Harris.

The directors decidedly took the film in a cartoony direction, giving the animation a very fluid and lively look. As this was originally intended for a 3D experience, you can tell when objects were meant to pop things out of the screen at you; however these moments are not distracting at all. In fact, having only seen the film in 2-D I don’t feel like I was missing anything. The colors are vivid, the action exciting, the jokes are very funny (I laughed out loud along with my kids) and the sentimental scenes were not too sacchariny. Although the script’s themes cover ground already done in other films, the writing doesn’t feel clichéd. Everything feels fresh, like a hot meal coming out of the oven, or in this case, descending down from the sky thanks to a wacky invention. As I said in the opening, this is one movie the whole family can sit down and get watch together.

The 2 disc DVD comes with some nice features, not too many, but enough to keep you happy. The behind the scene featurette on making of the film was silly, but informative. More enjoyable was the featurette on the voice casting of the film, despite the fact that some of the cast were not heard from (how can you use Bruce Campbell and not have an interview with him?).  The DVD has a food fight game, which is cute, as far as DVD games go; deleted scenes; audio commentary;  and a pointless music video for Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) performing the film’s theme, “Raining Sunshine.”

Ryan SanAngelo and Elizabeth Chatel Remind Us That “Christmas Is Coming”

We haven’t gotten around to reviewing his CD yet, but Ryan SanAngelo doesn’t hold a grudge — he’s just sent us his new video, “Christmas Is Coming.” Gather ’round:

CD Review: Dean Jones, “Rock Paper Scissors”

Man oh man oh man. Why can’t they all be this good?

Not only my favorite kids’ album of the year but one of my favorite releases period, Dean Jones’ stellar Rock Paper Scissors is everything children’s music should be: A wonderfully easy-to-listen-to collection of songs that, while childlike in their lyrical simplicity and musical exuberance, still hum with a wild and woolly grown-up rock ‘n’ roll spirit. It’s one long, joyful noise, this album is, and having spent enough time with it to allow the initial euphoric rush of hearing it to wear off, I can safely say it’s my favorite kids’ record ever.

A big part of this has to do with Jones’ choice of backing musicians. At his day gig, Jones is a member of the highly regarded kindie outfit Dog on Fleas, and he doesn’t seem to take his solo efforts lightly — his first one, Napper’s Delight, is a wonderful collection of lullabies, and this time out, he teamed up with the Felice Brothers, Catskills-bred purveyors of gloriously ragged, Band-esque Americana. The Felice Brothers have a wonderful sound, and having seen them play live and truly unplugged, I can say with authority that they’re the real deal — but they have an annoying tendency to devote large chunks of their albums to listless ballads instead of the sweaty, moonshine-flavored uptempo numbers that are their true strong suit. Here, you get the benefit of the Felice Brothers’ terrific sound without having to contend with their occasionally frustrating songs; Jones uses them as a crackerjack backing band, leading them on a pleasantly off-kilter hootenanny.

You know what you’re in for from the first track, the shoutalong “Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here,” a perfect 1:45 celebration of the world’s marvelous unpredictability (“life is just a gamble, livin’ in the brambles”). It’s a tough act to follow, but Rock Paper Scissors does it in style, with songs jazzy (the title track), funny (“Butterfingers”), heartbreakingly beautiful (“Sing Like a Sparrow”), and everything in between (“Throw on the Charm,” “Flat Tire”). Jones’ press kit describes the album as “18 songs of fun and mayhem,” and I can’t think of any better way to sum it up, with the possible exception of simply telling you to buy it. Immediately. You and your kids will not be sorry.

DVD Review: The Jimmies, “Trying Funny Stuff”

Watch enough kids’ videos, and you’ll figure out pretty quickly that even though kindie rock is a booming genre, even its most popular artists tend to have more enthusiasm than money — and as a result, music videos for children are mostly pretty low-budget affairs, which is unfortunate, because their target demographic is accustomed to plenty of eye candy.

Enter the Jimmies, the NYC-based group led by singer Ashley Albert (a.k.a. “Plucky Pea”). They’ve only released one album, 2007’s Make Your Own Someday, so you wouldn’t expect their debut DVD to be much to write home about, both because the band doesn’t have a huge backlog of material and because they haven’t been around long enough to build an audience the size of, say, They Might Be Giants. But the DVD, Trying Funny Stuff, is a wonderful surprise — emphasis on the “wonderful.”

The disc kicks off with six music videos, all of which I now know front to back, thanks to the daily viewing regimen my daughter has imposed since Stuff showed up in our mailbox a couple of weeks ago. Familiarity hasn’t bred contempt, though; these are the Lord of the Rings of kindie music video, with stellar production values to match the band’s smart, catchy songs. Hardcore Jimmies fans will already know five of the videos (“Do The Elephant,” “Spanimals,” “Cool To Be Uncool,” “Bedhead,” and “Taddy”) from YouTube, but I hate watching stuff on the computer, and besides, the band has been good enough to toss in a brand new video for “What’s That Sound?” Read the rest of this entry

DVD review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Two-Disc Monkey Mischief Pack)

Adult fans of the original Night at the Museum may be a little disappointed with its loud, action packed sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian; I was. Because the thrill from the first film of seeing museum pieces come to life was gone and because Ben Stiller’s character, “Larry,” was no longer at his wits end trying to contain those same museum pieces, some of the magic is missing from the 2^nd film. Battle for the Smithsonian is bigger, noisier and has all of the shortcomings most sequels have. However, it does have one saving grace, one key element that makes this DVD worth checking out: Amy Adams.

Adams co-stars as Amelia Earhart, or rather a mannequin of Earhart that comes to life when the magic tablet of Ahkmenrah (from the first movie) is shipped off to Washington to be placed in storage at the Smithsonian. Earhart teams up with Larry (now a wealthy entrepreneur) to prevent an evil Egyptian pharaoh, Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) from opening a portal to the underworld and unleashing an army of the undead to take over earth. Adams, one of the most charming and likable actresses working these days, is pure delight at the legendary female aviator. She speaks in a rat-tat-tat-tat cadence that hearkens back to the era from which Earhart was popular. Adams gives her character a no nonsense attitude and gung ho spirit that pops off the screen and charms your socks off. Moreover, the way she carries herself and commits to the role makes watching Adams such a pleasure that whenever she’s on screen you overlook the shortcomings of this movie, which was wildly successful in its theatrical run. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: Walt Disney Treasures “Zorro: The Complete First Season” and “Zorro: The Complete Second Season”

Nostalgia is a tough sell when it comes to today’s children. With 21^st century kids used to quick, Michael Bay-paced edits and brilliant, flashing colors to keep their attention, sitting them down to watch a black and white television series from 50 years ago may seem like a lost cause. With the release of Zorro the Complete First Season and the Complete Second Season in deluxe DVD format, Disney is showing the utmost confidence that this adventure series will delight not only the diehard Disney fanatics, but future generations of TV watchers. Trust me when I tell you that if you sit down with your son or daughter to watch Zorro, they’ll love it, and you’ll find your inner kid bursting with enthusiasm.

When Walt Disney decided to produce his first primetime series, he went all out to ensure that what he was airing met the high standards he set for his studio, both in motion pictures and television. He smartly chose to adapt the pulp novels of Johnston McCulley and partly based his vision of the masked avenger on the wildly successful silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks.  The Fairbanks version of the hero was a lighthearted take, adding humor and charm mixed with swordplay and spectacular stunts. Disney hired top writers to produce the show, he built an elaborate, permanent set on the Disney lot, and he brought together a cast of talented character actors to bring to life the colorful characters he envisioned. In the role of Don Diego/Zorro, an unknown actor named Guy Williams was cast. While this may have seemed like a risk, the actor exuded charisma as the masked avenger out to defend the oppressed. Moreover, Williams had an everyman, relatable quality that draws you in and keeps you entertained. And entertained you will be. Read the rest of this entry