Review: My Best Day - Trout Fishing In America

You don't see too many kids' music acts with a live album. Trout Fishing In America has, with the release of My Best Day (2006) today, two. That fact speaks to Trout's longevity (30 years as a duo and 7 family recordings in addition to other recordings for adults) and their popularity as a live act. My Best Day is a Greatest Hits collection to an extent. Long-time favorites such as the calypso-styled "My Hair Had a Party Last Night" mingle with new favorites such as "Alien In My Nose" (an absolutely disgusting track -- your 7-year-olds will love it). While those songs (and others) show off Ezra Idlet's and Keith Grimwood's sillier side, slightly straighter songs such as the sweet "Fill It Up" and "Alberta Postcard" fit more squarely in a folk-pop tradition that would sound great at any folk festival, kids-associated or not. The two new songs, "I've Got A Friend (and He Won't Be Quiet)" and "My Pants Fell Down," are pretty good additions to the Trout canon -- I particularly liked "My Pants Fell Down" (the title says it all, and, yes, your 7-year-olds will love it). Both the new songs (and "Alien" and the title track) were written in songwriting workshops with kids. Having said all that, the banter and interaction that would be lots of fun if you were actually at the concert gets to be a bit repetitive if you're listening to the CD. "Simon Says" gets tiresome; the jokes, amusing on first or second hearing, are no longer funny the fifth or sixth time around. Perhaps the upcoming DVD of the concert (recorded in Febrary 2006) will make you feel more like you're at the concert (and, therefore, not so weary of the between-song stuff). Kids ages 5 through 10 will most appreciate the album. You can listen to Trout's music by going here and clicking on "Launch Trout Radio" or going to the usual online suspects to hear clips from the new CD. If you're a Trout fan, you'll enjoy this CD (unless of course they left off your favorite track). If you're not a Trout fan, you won't enjoy this CD -- there's nothing to convert you. If you're not sure about Trout, this is a decent place to start as it does pick tracks from throughout their family music career. My Best Day is, for better and occasionally worse, a good representation of a Trout Fishing in America concert.

Review: Peggy's Pie Parlor - Ralph's World

When I've contemplated how I would put together the inevitable Ralph's World musical -- what, you haven't? -- I've tended towarded organizing the songs somewhat chronologically. This leaves me with no other choice than to start with the bang-up song "Cavemen!," off Ralph Covert's fourth Ralph's World album, Peggy's Pie Parlor (2003). The song, a mock Broadway revue number, keeps me in stitches (what other kids' song would refer to Modigliani?), while the chorus, "Cavemen! We are Cavemen!," is pitched perfectly at the 1st graders out there. The presence of a Broadway number on the CD isn't out-of-place, because more than any other Ralph's World album, Peggy's Pie Parlor is willing to reach way back into the 20th century for musical styles -- the vigorous polka of the title track, the zippity ragtime of Walt Kelly's manic "Go Go Pogo," the I-had-to-double-check-it-was-a-Covert-original "I Never See Maggie Alone," which could've easily been written 80 years ago. (Covert also does his best to make "Yon Yonson" sound appealing for its 2-minute run time, but runs out about halfway through.) Having said that, my favorite tracks are the more modern-sounding tracks. "All I Wanna Do Is Play" is a sweet slice of Hammond organ-spiced garage rock, while the pop-rock leadoff track "The Mighty Worm," has a simple yet ear-wormy melody and chorus ("Everybody does what they do best / the best"). And "Tango Dancing Bear" concludes with a Dave Mathews Band-esque waltz coda. Kids age 4 through 8 will appreciate the 37-minute album the most. You can hear samples here or at other online merchants. I've come to consider Peggy's Pie Parlor as a transitional Ralph's World CD, moving from the least essential CD in his collection (Happy Lemons) to his two most recent and cohesive albums, where his songwriting for elementary school kids really took off, marrying a kid-centric perspective with great melodic hooks. Although Peggy's Pie Parlor doesn't quite reach the heights of the two later CDs, everybody should find at least a few songs they and their kids will enjoy. Recommended.

Review: See You on the Moon! - Various Artists

You know what's refreshing about See You on the Moon!: Songs for Kids of All Ages, the 2006 compilation from Canada's Paper Bag Records label? It's a compilation album of kids' music from adult rock artists that isn't for charity. Bless 'em -- every other compilation of this type seems to be a fundraiser for one worthy group or another, but this one? Pure commerce! Why should you care? Well, for one thing, rather than wondering whether or not the cause behind an album is worth your $15, you can just wonder whether or not the music itself is worth your $15. In this case, it's a mixed bag. The best track by far is Great Lake Swimmers' title track, a winning mid-tempo indie-rocker all about different careers kids can aspire to -- carpenter or singer, for example. It combines a fabulous hook with clear, direct lyrics and occasional fun stuff for the kids to latch on to (the tap-tap-tap of a hammer during the sung phrase "tap-tap-tap"). It's sunny, but not overwhelming, a song for kids of all ages (truth in advertising in this regard, anyway). Unfortunately no other song hits the heights of the title track, though there are a few worth listening to -- I particularly liked the Apostle of Hustle featuring The Husky's' "24 Robbers," which marries kids' playground chanting to drum and sound loops (think a kids' track from Beck). And Detective Kalita's "Baby Brother," is, unlike most of the tracks, very clear vocally and sweet (almost too much so). Sufjan Stevens' Christmas carol "The Friendly Beasts," off one of his homemade Christmas EPs (which'll be released in late 2006), has a pleasant basement recording studio feel, but sounds somewhat out of place amidst the other tracks. The tracks that don't work are the ones that don't provide things kids can latch onto -- clear lyrics, accessible subject matter, or catchy melodies. Alan Sparhawk's "Be Nice to People with Lice" comes off more mean than a plea for tolerance, while Hot Chip's "I Can't Wake Up" will put most listeners to sleep. And the other big artist, Broken Social Scene, turns in a very hazy and very dull "Puff the Magic Dragon." Whether or not the artists thought about how to communicate their songs to a younger audience than they normally play for, the results don't always reflect it. For the most part, this is an album that kids ages 4 to 7 might enjoy. You can hear samples wherever the album's sold online OR you can go to Paper Bag's newly redesigned website and stream every one of their albums (I don't like to deep-link too much, so just go here and pick out this album. Or another one. Magneta Lane, maybe. Be adventurous.) See You on the Moon! is an uneven album, filled with some great tracks and some considerably less-than-great. While you may enjoy the diversity of indie-rock tracks and bands on the disk, your kids are likely to pick out just a few tracks and ask you to skip the rest.

Review: Hoodwinked Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists

When did I know how seriously I'd started to take this whole "kids and family music" thing?When I spent $25 for an out-of-print kids' music CD -- to be specific, the Hoodwinked Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.Now normally I'd just chalk it up to the semi-obsessional nature of being a niche expert, but I'm used to hearing -- and reviewing -- albums that with print runs of just 1,000 copies.What in the name of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack is going on, then, when a soundtrack of a movie produced by the Weinstein Company goes out of print six months after its release? Especially when it's as good as this one. There are three songs on here which are in my top ten kids' songs of the year, two of them in my top ten songs of the year, period.And they're all completely different."Great Big World," which I've raved about before, has a fantastic '60s-esque sound with a Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production and crystal clear vocals from Anne Hathaway."Bounce" is an old school rap whose lyrics sound pretty nonsensical (if albeit pleasing to the ear) until you see the movie, after which they make sense (the song rolls over the closing credits).And "Red is Blue" is a stunning ballad which works both within the movie, representing character Red's interior monologue, and outside of it.Listening to the song in the movie, I thought, they have Ben Folds down cold.And then in the closing credits, I noticed that Ben Folds sang the freakin' song!Though he didn't write it, he did add the piano hook -- it's definitely the best Ben Folds soundtrack song of 2006. The rest of the songs cover most of the past 30 years sonically -- "Critters Have Feeling" could've been on the Cars' Heartbeat City, "The Real G" has a Limp Bizkit rock-rap sound (in a good way), "Glow" has a bit of an Elton John feel, and "Eva Deanna" is a very fine Pixies rip-off.Most of the credit for the awesomeness of the soundtrack has to go to co-director and songwriter Todd Edwards, who wrote 9 songs here.The rock tracks here have a very Pretty Woman soundtrack feel, where you know that some of the songs' interest will fade over time, but it's still a fine collection of songs. Now the question remains, is this a good album to recommend for listening with kids?Well, yes and no.Yes, because there are so many good songs here.No, because I'm not sure the kids will necessarily connect to the songs (aside from the "hey, I remember that song in the movie!" effect, which may be enough).In addition, while there's nothing wrong with the score, its placement scattered throughout the disk may be more distracting than enlightening. I'd peg the age-appropriateness of the album at ages 5 through 10.You can see music videos for three of the songs (including the catchy "Critters Have Feelings") at the movie's website.I'd also note that the album also includes song notes from Edwards and complete lyrics.So all you people searching the website for the lyrics, just buy the album!(And if you need to know where to get the CD at a reasonable (i.e., not $50) price, drop me a line.) You don't need to have enjoyed the movie -- or even to have seen the movie -- to enjoy the Hoowinked soundtrack (though it'll add a little bit to your enjoyment).I definitely recommend this album, but it's not so much for your kids as it is for yourself.Your kids are likely to get tired of it long before you do.

Review: LMNO Music (Pink) - Enzo Garcia

If Smithsonian Folkways is looking for another kids' musician to join Elizabeth Mitchell on the label, I've got a suggestion: how about Enzo Garcia? His latest album, LMNO Music (Pink) (2006), has echoes of Folkways standbys Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Ella Jenkins, but makes the mostly traditional songs sound his own. The San Francisco-based Garcia runs a music program, LMNO Music, for pre-elementary-aged kids and the album gives the listener some indication of what the classes might be like -- Garcia encouraging the crowd in a round of "Row Your Boat," or the hand-play of his original "Let's Make Pizza." In this sense, it's a very Ella-like record. On the other hand, Garcia's distinct voice and his banjo playing will remind the listener of Pete Seeger. And on the, er, other hand, his willingness to sing a cappella will remind others of Woody Guthrie. And for those of you with four hands, Garcia isn't content just to record traditional folk and kids' songs -- the album's standout song is the hypnotic "Hold My Hand," for which it took me several listens absorbing the layers of sound before I fully comprehended that it's another listener participation song. The album is about as ambitious instrumentally as it is possible for a single artist to get -- the tinkling toy piano on "Oh, Oh the Sunshine," is about par for the course. While dependent on guitars and banjos to ground the songs, Garcia is a sound collagist, picking a choosing instruments to fill out the sound. If there's an oddness (in a good sense) to the music on the album, it's helped along by musical guest Ralph Carney, who's also recorded with another stellar sound collagist, Tom Waits. The songs here are best for kids ages 2 through 6, though the creative approaches to familiar tunes throughout the album make it accessible to kids older than 6. You can sample tracks at the album's CDBaby page. Garcia's willingness to extend the boundaries of what traditional music and new folk and kids music might sound like differentiates him from many solo artists. It's time for a new generation of kids' musicians willing to claim these folk songs as there own. Are you listening, Folkways? Recommended.

Review: You Are My Little Bird - Elizabeth Mitchell

I wouldn't be here if not for Elizabeth Mitchell. Not in a "here on this planet" manner of speaking, but here, writing about music for kids and families. A webforum's random note suggesting her kids' music debut You Are My Flower prompted an impulsive purchase; listening to the album, brief though it was, opened my ears to the possibilities in listening to (and making) music with kids. It and its successor, You Are My Sunshine, became beloved and well-worn recordings in our household. I mention this for two reasons: one, to express my debt of gratitude to Ms. Mitchell for that first album; and two, to give you a sense of my bias heading into the review of Elizabeth Mitchell's 3rd solo CD for kids and her first for the venerable Smithsonian Folkways label, You Are My Little Bird (2006). The pairing is so obvious that it makes you wonder why nobody had thought of this sooner. Mitchell's previous kids' albums (including another album made with her college bandmate Lisa Loeb) always relied heavily on traditional songs discovered or made famous by such Folkways standbys as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Elizabeth Cotten. (She also liked covering Bob Dylan songs, too, part of the albums' unique charms.) The folk approach (homemade sound, often only accompanied by husband and musical partner Daniel Littleton) also made it sound very Folkways-like. This album is loosely organized around the avian theme of the title, with songs such as the traditional "Little Bird, Little Bird" and the Spanish-language "Los Pollitos" (The Little Chicks). (The use of non-English-language tracks continues the trend seen in the Mitchell-Loeb Catch The Moon album.) The album also includes slightly less traditional (but no less avian) covers of Neil Young ("Little Wing") and Gillian Welch/David Rawlings ("Winter's Come and Gone"). Some songs encourage listener participation, such as on "Little Liza Jane," which names cities familiar to the artists, while one of the album's standout tracks, "If You Listen," a sweet folk-pop track, encourages the listener to search for certain sounds (birds, different instruments). If there's a key song thematically here, this is it. Another one of my favorite tracks is the cover of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On," which, well, rocks in a way few if any other Mitchell's kids' music tracks do. It fits in well with an album which takes the homemade sound of her previous CDs and builds upon it in different ways -- the significant (but not distracting) presence of daughter Storey, the gradual building of voices in the opener "Little Liza Jane," the banjo on "Little Bird, Little Bird" (recorded by another stellar kids' musician and banjo player, Pete Seeger). I can't discuss this album without mentioning Mitchell's voice, which is the sweetest and best voice in kids' and family music today. The crystal-clear quality of her voice not only is pleasant to hear, it's also essential to understanding the lyrics so you can then sing the songs to the kids in your life. (In fact, if I have one complaint with the album it's that some of the non-Mitchell-penned liner notes take up valuable space which could've otherwise been used to print lyrics.) Like the other Mitchell CDs, the sense of calm that permeates the album makes it appropriate for a wide age range, but it's probably best for kids ages 2 through 7. You can hear 5 of the songs (including "What Goes On" and "Three Little Birds") in their entirety at Mitchell's website (click on "Sunshine," then "Listen.") You can hear samples from all the tracks on the album at its Amazon page. If, like me, you are familiar with Elizabeth Mitchell's work, you will not be disappointed by this latest album -- it retains the simplicity and homemade sound of the earlier albums while expanding upon it in new and delightful ways. If, like me a number of years ago, you are unfamiliar with Elizabeth Mitchell's work, You Are My Little Bird is an excellent introduction. The album is a gift to kids and adults alike. Highly recommended.