If you’re already familiar with Justin Roberts and are just wondering if his latest release is as good as his others — or if you’re simply the kind of person who likes skipping to the “star rating” portion of the review — I’ll make things easy for you right up front: Roberts is awesome, and so is his new album, Jungle Gym. Pre-order it now.

Now I’ll get a little more in-depth as to just exactly why Justin Roberts is so awesome, and why, if you’re the type of parent who loves music and would like to pass that along to your kids, you need to add his music to your family playlist.

In pure songwriting terms, Roberts outclasses most of the “grown-up” artists I listen to on a daily basis. Like any other kids’ performer, he understands how to address youth-oriented themes, and he does it really well — more on that in a minute. But compositionally, Roberts is in a league of his own, both from a nuts-and-bolts music theory standpoint and from a kitchen-sink production/arrangements standpoint. He loads his songs with the kinds of smart changes that make dyed-in-the-wool pop fans smile, and he’s got a terrific secret weapon in his producer, Liam Davis, a guy who knows how to stuff Roberts’ tracks with everything from French horns to fat stacks of backing vocals without overwhelming Roberts (or the listener). Justin Roberts’ records are pure ear candy; if you could look in the dictionary under “music everyone in the family really, truly, honestly can enjoy,” you’d see a picture of his earnest smile. Continue reading →