Review: The Family Hootenanny - Various Artists

Detroit is not afraid of you and will beat your... OK, this is a family website, but it's true.The Detroit Tigers are back in the World Series and if The Family Hootenanny is any indication, they can turn out kid-rock with the best of 'em.(Well, they can turn out Kid Rock, too, but that's for another set of music blogs altogether.) Released earlier this year, the album is inspired by years of occasional Family Hootenanny concerts in which Detroit rockers let their hair down (or, as the promo materials put it, "pulled it from their faces") for family-oriented shows.While the word "hootenanny" implies a folk-centric approach, the CD collects artists from across the musical spectrum, from the punk of all-mom bands The Mydols ("Run Crazy Baby") and CandyBand (the previously released but totally awesome "Get Up Already") to the faithful cover of Schoolhouse Rock's "Interjections" by the Katzenjammer Kids. I wouldn't have expected it, but the crazy melding of styles works, mostly because the songs are each great in their own way.The Go! (Jack White's old band) puts together the closest thing to a lead single with "Knock Knock Banana," which sounds like an incredibly skewed Saturday morning theme song from 1975.That song is followed by "Stuck in the Playpen (Again)" by Old Man Miller (Dan John Miller of Blanche), a country-blues with the lines "I wonder if my momma even loves me / In the pen you don't get nothin' to eat / Just some plastic blocks / Some dirty old socks / A bunch of books that I'm too young to read."(As Homer Simpson would say, it's funny 'cause it's true.)The two songs have no business being on the same disk except they're both fabulous songs. And so on through punk, country, pop, Americana.For the most part, the songs are originals, but even the traditional songs are given vigorous new readings.Loretta Lucas (and the Larkspurs) turn in some great harmonies on "Down By the Bay" while the Saltminers' uptempo (and whoo-whoo-enhanced) "Freight Train" is energetic and, well, fun. Kids between the ages of 3 and 9 will most appreciate the album.(Heck, Chloe Crawford -- age 5 -- sings on "A Peacock Day" with her two younger sisters.)You can hear 4 full tracks at the compilation's Myspace page or samples of every track at CDBaby. Most of the tracks here will engage the kids (and on a few tracks, if not the kids, their parents).If you particularly liked the Bloodshot classic The Bottle Let Me Down, you will certainly like this.But I think the album's appeal is broad and will reach many families.The Family Hootenanny is the kids and family music compilation of the year.Highly recommended.

Review: Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo - Ginger Hendrix

Ginger Hendrix is a very funny ~~fellow~~ woman, right! Like Bill Cosby, there are a number of male kids' music artists with a broad sense of humor -- Trout Fishing in America, Robbie Schaefer, Daddy-A-Go-Go, the list goes on. The number of female kids' music artists whose broad sense of humor is apparent in their songs is much smaller. In fact, Laurie Berkner might be the only name that comes to mind, and one name isn't really a list. But with her debut, Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo (2006), Ginger Hendrix is here to make it a list. Not that you'll really be thinking about the sociological effects of the CD. You (and your kids) will be smiling. Songs about stinky things (the bluesy "Stinky Trash"), the alphabet ("L is for Llama"), or ponies (the mellow "Riding My Pony") will keep your 4-year-olds interested. Songs about made-up words such as "schnoikee-day footka" ("Funny Word Dictionary") will amuse slightly older kids. And the title track is a mostly spoken-word track that will amuse the parents greatly. Hendrix, who lives on California's central coast, is not goofy all the time. One of the best tracks on the disk is a sprightly tune called "How the Days Go By," on which Hendrix is an acute observer of how many days pass by for preschool-aged families ("Sometimes we go shopping in the afternoon / take a nice big loop around Target / chew some gum, drink a lemonade / maybe go home with all new socks.") The songs themselves are almost entirely Hendrix accompanying herself on guitar, playing folk-pop melodies. (The mellower tunes have a bit of a Jack Johnson vibe to them.) Over an entire album, the relative sameness of the musical structures would get old fast were it not for the great lyrical wordplay and the sheer enthusiasm of Hendrix. (The enthusiasm is best heard on the final four tracks, recorded live at Hendrix's preschool. I've never attended "Teacher Mary School," but I love the song Hendrix created for it.) The album will be most enjoyed by kids ages 3 through 7 and those whose sense of humor have not been surgically removed or otherwise altered. You can hear sound clips at this page, and I'd recommend just tooling around Hendrix's website, which is even more appealingly goofy than the album itself. Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo is a fun album, good for relaxing around the house in between trips to Target or picking up the older sibling at the bus stop. Ginger Hendrix strikes just the right balance of insight and immaturity (in the best sense) here. Recommended.

Review: Welcome To Ralph's World - Ralph's World

I don't think I'm the only person who, when they saw the cover to the latest Ralph's World album, Welcome To Ralph's World when I say that my first thought upon seeing the album cover was, "Where's Giselle Potter?" She drew all six album covers for Ralph's World, and her replacement by illustrator Jim Paillot for this, Ralph Covert's first album with Disney, is akin to the Wiggles deciding that they wanted to wear black, brown, white, and green shirts or the Yankees abandoning the pinstripes deciding to trot out solid blue uniforms. It's unlikely, however, that people would like (or dislike) the Wiggles or Yankees based on their choice of clothing -- it's their actions or songs that give them such cultural cachet. In the world of kids' music (the Wiggles aside), Ralph Covert is about as big as they get. There's not another kids' artist who in the past decade has recorded more great songs. Some artists might have a better album or two but don't have the breadth (They Might Be Giants' 2 kids' CDs, for example) while other artists aren't quite aiming for the "kids' music" target (Dan Zanes). But the world of independently-created kids' music has been, up to now, somewhat isolated from the broad American culture, and Disney, by adding Ralph's World to its lineup, is attempting to branch out. So I realize now that Welcome To Ralph's World is less a "greatest hits" album for his current fans as much as it an introduction to literally millions of families who don't already know his playful brand of kids'-themed (mostly) pop and rock. It does follow the greatest hits template, of course -- collect a number of good songs off each of his albums while adding one new track for the diehards -- but especially since Covert has not had videos on Noggin, the notion of "greatest hits" is somewhat odd. Does the 37-minute album collect his best stuff? For the most part, yes, including the garage rock of "Fee Fi Fo Fum" and "All I Want To Do Is Play" or the gleeful pop-rock of "Dance Around." It's too bad, though, that more songs from Covert's two most recent -- and best -- albums, Green Gorilla, Monster & Me and The Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro, didn't make the cut. "We Are Ants" or "I Don't Wanna" should be on the track listing. Beyond the track selections, the new song "With A Friend (The Pooh Song)" should dispel fears that Disney will completely change Covert's style. It's a retro-sounding pop/show tune that, while not an instant classic, is certainly a worthy addition to the Ralph's World canon. The videos on the accompanying 15-minute DVD, however, will probably only please those who have seen them repeatedly on the Disney Channel. They're not bad, and the kids joking around in the audience (including Covert's daughter Fiona) are having a good time, but aside from the backgrounds -- in the style of, yes, the album illustrator Jim Paillot -- they don't have much to recommend them, visually. Ralph's World music, particularly on this CD, which omits some of the tracks appealing to slightly older kids, will appeal mostly to kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear clips from a whole host of Ralph's World tracks at his music page. In the end, there are really three audiences for this review. The diehard Ralph-heads pre-ordered this album weeks ago -- this review is too late for them and wouldn't have affected their decision in any case. Casual fans who some of his albums in their collection can safely skip this collection without feeling like they're missing much. And for those of you out there discovering Ralph's World for the first time, this collection is recommended as a very good (and bargain-priced) introduction to one of kids' music finest songcrafters.

Review: I Can Do It By Myself! - AudraRox

Based in New York City and led by mother of two Audra Tsanos, AudraRox strikes a punk pose -- a leather-jacketed, hair-streaked elementary school student poses on the cover of their debut album I Can Do It By Myself!, released earlier this month. But make no mistake, their music is more pop than punk. Which is by no means a put-down when the pop is as finely tuned as it is here. One of the stand-out tracks is a 2-minute slice of power-pop goodness called "Tired," which sounds a bit like the Replacements (if the Replacements had three women doing vocals). On the New Wave-styled titled track, Tsanos channels the Missing Persons' Dale Bozzio. The band also runs through other styles -- country ("I Hope My Mama Says YES!"), funky blues ("Where's My Shoes Blues"), disco, etc -- and sounds great doing 'em all. And not only does the band sound great, they all have assorted songwriting credits on the album. Lyrically, the album tackles typical 6-year-old concerns -- the effects of rough-housing ("All My Toys Are Broken") or begging for a little extra parental indulgence ("I Hope My Mama Says YES!"). The songs are mostly written in the first person, so the young listeners will grasp on easily, but there are enough sly bits to hook the parents. I was particularly amused by how the band turned the plaintive phrase "everybody's havin' more fun than we are" into a whole song that ever so gently chides the child that uses it. And the only thing better than a 7-minute song about procrastination ("I'm gonna button my coat so I don't catch a cold / I'll do it in a minute, but first, I'll sing the chorus" -- how very meta) is a good 7-minute song about procrastination. Given the lyrical focus, it's targeted right at kids ages 4 through 8. You can hear samples at the CDBaby page for the album. In its willingness to explore a whole bunch of pop and rock styles, I Can Do It By Myself reminds me -- in a good way -- of Ralph's World albums. It's energetic and lots of fun, speaking to kids without ignoring the parents in the back of the room. Recommended.

Review: Animal Crackers - Wee Hairy Beasties

When Bloodshot Records' classic kids and family music compilation The Bottle Let Me Down was released in 2002, it was, well, something of a novelty. Adult artists -- edgy ones, even -- doing kids' music? What was perhaps surprising was just how darn good the collection was. Now it's 2006 and adult artists doing kids' music, while not yet passe', is certainly not a novelty, not when every rocker with kids underfoot may be thinking that there's an audience out there that's waiting to be served. So it hardly seems necessary to note that the Wee Hairy Beasties, whose debut album Animal Crackers will be released next week, actually consist of musicians with a long history of playing in places far seedier than your local day care center -- Jon Langford and Sally Timms, of the punk band the Mekons; Kelly Hogan; and Devil in a Woodpile. It also is much less surprising than it would have been four years ago that this album is more fun than a barrel full of monkeys. Or ants. OK, it's way more fun than a barrelful of ants. Barrelfuls of ants are never fun, but the rewrite of the Bo Diddley classic "I'm a M.A.N.," which is turned into "I'm an A.N.T." definitely is. "Housefly Blues" introduces young listeners to the problems of the common housefly. Langford's distinctive and slightly raspy voice is a great fit for the zippy "Ragtime Duck." And so on, through a whole range of country, bluegrass, and swing arrangements. My favorite track on the CD is "Cyril the Karaoke Squirrel," on which Hogan's sly vocal delivery and the '60s-era arrangement draws the listener into a story about intolerance which, as you might expect from Bloodshot Records, doesn't end quite the way you'd expect. I'm going to put an age range of 3 to 8 for the 33-minute album, thanks to the animal subject matter, which always goes over big with preschoolers. You can download the leadoff track, the ragged-sounding (in a good way) and lots-of-fun "Wee Hairy Beasties" and pre-order the album at its Bloodshot page. Make no mistake, Animal Crackers is a kids' album. But it's made with love and enthusiasm and will engage kids while making the parents smile. And if you had any affinity for The Bottle Let Me Down, you shouldn't hesitate at all to get this album. Definitely recommended.

Review: Electric Storyland - The Sippy Cups

Sad about the closure of CBGB's? Have no fear, The Sippy Cups are here with Electric Storyland. On their first album, 2005's Kids Rock For Peas, the San Francisco-based band took a bunch of '60s and '70s-era tunes (some famous, some less so), tweaked them as necessary to make them kid-friendly, and played them live in front of an appreciative audience of preschoolers, grade-schoolers, and their parents. Making the album and band more than just a one-off joke ("I Wanna Be Elated," get it? Ha!) was the band's energy, enthusiasm, and sense of humor (pitched at both kids and adults). What could have become very old very quickly was given fresh life. Electric Storyland takes a slightly different approach, eschewing cover songs for a set of 14 original songs. But the album has every bit of the debut's energy, enthusiasm, and humor, with songs that draw inspiration from the '60s and '70s, but are definitely original. Take "Use Your Words," one of very few tracks that have anything remotely resembling a "message," about how articulating feelings rather than simply acting on them is a preferred way of dealing with frustration ("The world will be greater / If you use your words"). It's a fun, uptempo song that has the faintest echoes of, say, Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride." But most songs are content to paint pictures, such as the Jimi Hendrix-esque sounds of "Drinking From the Sky" or what I'm assuming is an early Floyd tribute (as indicated by the "Money"-esque clinking of change at song's start) in "How To Build A Dog." And lest you think the Cups are stuck in the music of 30 years ago, a couple songs (the excellent "Springtime Fantastic" and "Flower Tower") have hints of the Replacements and the Gin Blossoms and guitar power-pop less than 30 years old. I can't think of too many downsides. The album did feel a bit long at 51 minutes, but that's a minor quibble -- the songs are all pretty good. I'm one of those people who doesn't like skits with my music, but the characters here (familiar to those who've heard the band's first two CDs, plus a new one, "Major Minor") are amusing and their skits brief. The album is pitched at a slightly older crowd perhaps than the first CD, think ages 4 through 10. You can listen to sound clips and buy the album at its CDBaby page or at its iTunes page. Electric Storyland is a strong step forward for The Sippy Cups -- it's a winning album retaining the spirit of music from 30 years ago or more but giving it its own youthful energy. Instead of bemoaning CBGB's demise, listen to the Sippy Cups. Definitely recommended.