Author Archives: Jeff Giles

About Jeff Giles

Jeff Giles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Popdose and Dadnabbit, as well as an entertainment writer whose work can be seen at Rotten Tomatoes, Paste Magazine, and a number of other sites.

Blu-ray Review: “The Princess and the Frog”

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Even if you aren’t the kind of person who tends to get caught up in hype, you have to admit that last year’s Princess and the Frog made for a pretty killer story. The studio that invented longform animation, then abandoned it for CGI, returning to its classic roots…led by the guy who directed Toy Story and helped start sounding traditional animation’s death knell in the first place? What could be more perfect?

Well, in Disney’s eyes, the movie’s eventual $264 million worldwide gross could have been a little bigger — and as far as most critics were concerned, The Princess and the Frog was a solid, albeit disappointingly slight, effort that didn’t quite live up to its advance billing. (Not that anything could have, but whatever.) For a studio that spends an inordinate amount of effort trying to make filmgoers believe each of its releases is a certified classic (except Song of the South, right? Ha ha), the lavishly promoted Princess was a bit of an embarrassment.

Scrub away all that hype, though, and Princess is actually quite a bit of fun. If you’re the type of parent who, like me, sort of detests the whole Disney princess thing to begin with, the movie won’t do much to change your mind — despite a few surface changes to the studio’s formula, it’s very much the slice of happily-ever-after fairy tale that the title indicates — but it’s beautifully animated, with vibrant characters, gorgeous visuals, and a gently rollicking set of songs from one of my favorite artists of all time, Randy Newman. I mean, hey, it’s Disney. What exactly are you looking for, if not peerless craft in service of a storyline that probably doesn’t quite deserve it? Continue reading →

CD Review: “Putumayo Kids Presents: Jazz Playground”

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You know that movie If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium? Well, in my mailbox, if it’s Tuesday, it must be Putumayo.

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While the rest of the recording industry folds in on itself like a coke-dusted origami, Putumayo is apparently making out like gangbusters, because they’ve released approximately 400,000 CDs of world music for all occasions; I keep waiting for the day I open a Putumayo envelope to find Music for When You Want Dessert Before Dinner or Swinging Songs for Young Lovers.

Until then, here’s Putumayo Kids Presents: Jazz Playground, and although I enjoy teasing Putumayo — and saying the company’s name out loud, then giggling — I can’t pretend this 13-song collection isn’t yet another winner from the label. You might think world music compilations for kids would be dry, but Putumayo doesn’t take the Lomax approach; Jazz Playground, like the others in the series, takes a fun, lighthearted approach, and if you’re interested in exposing your kids to the music of other cultures, I can’t think of a more painless way of doing it. These songs draw from across an admirably broad spectrum (Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, and South Africa are just a few of the nations represented), but it feels more like a really cool mixtape than an education.

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(Case in point: Canadian artist Chris McKhool’s contribution is a jazzy rendition of the “Spider-Man” theme.

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If you’re anything like me, you tend to raise a skeptical eyebrow at anything that bills itself as a collection of “cool tunes for global kids,” but I’ve given up; resisting Putumayo’s endlessly listenable, artfully compiled CDs is futile. In fact, I think Jazz Playground might be my favorite yet. Bring on World Bathtime Party and Jazz Fingerpainting Anthems, guys — I’m beginning to think you can do no wrong.

CD Review: Debbie and Friends, “More Story Songs and Sing Alongs”

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Debbie’s back, she’s brought her Friends, and she has More Story Songs and Sing Alongs!

If you listened to the first volume, or if you’ve caught Debbie at one of her many well-received concerts over the last few years, you know what to expect — catchy, positive tunes, delivered with the same strong lines and bright colors you see in the album artwork.

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Debbie kicks off the new album with a song titled “So, So Happy,” and that about sums it up — this is cheerful music, focused on the best things about family, love, and growing up. Subjects include making silly faces for the camera (“Willy Won’t”), sports (“Home Run Ronnie”), achieving goals (“I Think I Can”), and friendship (“Until Next Time”), with a round of Simon Says thrown in for good measure (um, “Simon Says”).

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There’s even a dance track (“Little Red Remix”) and a duet with the James Brown of kids’ music, Bob McGrath.

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What else do you want?

Like the first volume, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs is slickly produced, with a bright polish to go with the smartly crafted arrangements (credits in the liner notes include everything from banjo to strings, brass, and a children’s choir). As far as kids’ music goes, it’s pretty much the polar opposite of recent rootsy discs from the likes of Dean Jones or Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, and it’s more narrowly focused, too — Debbie’s music is aimed at the pre-K demographic, and perhaps unlike those other artists, your mileage may vary with the older kids in your family. But for the little ones who just want a little primary color fun, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs is just about perfect — 33 minutes of sunshine and dancing. Watch this video for “Home Run Ronnie” and see if you don’t agree.