Tag Archives: CD Review

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

Leave a reply

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.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
SHARE ARTICLE

CD Review: Dean Jones, “Rock Paper Scissors”

Leave a reply

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!

buy premarin Canada buy premarin no prescription no prescription

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”).

buy priligy Canada buy priligy no prescription no prescription

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.

buy singulair Canada buy singulair no prescription no prescription

Immediately. You and your kids will not be sorry.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
SHARE ARTICLE

DVD/CD Review: “Readeez Volume Two” and “Songeez”

2 Replies

volume two front cover hi-resThe following exchange has taken place in my home roughly four dozen times over the last 24 hours:

Me: I am a frying pan.

My daughter Sophie: (giggling) No, daddy, you’re a man.

Me: April fool, April fool, April fool.

Why, you ask? Only because the animated duo of Julian and Isabel Waters is back with another collection of the delightful (and educational!) animated musical shorts known as Readeez. Readeez Volume Two: Make It Up the Mountain includes 30 additions to the series that started with last year’s Readeez Volume One, and if you enjoyed the first batch, you’ll be pleased to know Volume Two is even better. The videos have a little more going on, there’s a slight theme tying them all together, and most importantly, the songs are even catchier and more varied. Continue reading →

SHARE ARTICLE