Review Two-Fer: My Best Friend is a Salamander / My Lemonade Stand - Peter Himmelman

In reviewing music here, I've tried not only to cover the latest releases from musicians familiar and not, but also filling in gaps from albums released - gasp! - more than a couple years ago, especially from significant artists. Consider this the missing pieces of my Peter Himmelman coverage, the other two albums for families I've not yet reviewed here.

My Best Friend is a Salamander, released in 1997, was Himmelman's first album for kids and families, and the first thing you might be struck by in listening to it is how it could have been released this year. Ten years later, and Himmelman's still taking socially exciting trips. What is different is just how... odd those first songs were. While on his excellent 2007 release My Green Kite he's singing about kites or feet --fairly recognizable subjects treated in mostly recognizable ways -- early on he had a much more skewed, Shel Silverstein-esque approach. He sings about his best friend... who's a salamander. In "Larry's a Sunflower Now," a dreamy adult-sounding pop tune, the narrator (who poured water all around the subject to help him grow) tells Larry's worried mom," Look at the bright side / There's nothing you can do / Larry's gettin' lots of fresh air / The sun is on his faces and / Birds are in his hair today." Himmelman's fascination with rhyming wordplay -- which continues today -- is most evident here on the gentle "An Ant Named Jane," though a number of other songs have the touch of spoken-word. Seven years later and one album in the meantime...

CD Review: Old McDonald's EIEI Radio - The Biscuit Brothers

Like many people my age, I grew up on PBS shows. Sesame Street, Electric Company, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood -- all of them great. (And so was Scooby-Doo, but that's not relevant here.) So it's been a little weird to me that the great TV kids' music show of this generation -- Jack's Big Music Show -- has never been anywhere near PBS. Which isn't to say that PBS doesn't have a show worthy of adulation right in its own backyard, if only it would share it with the world. My friends, meet the Biscuit Brothers. Produced in the musical city of Austin, Texas (and appearing on a few PBS stations, mostly in Texas), this show centers around the titular brothers, Buford and Dusty Biscuit, who live on, yes, Old McDonald's farm. Along with their sister Buttermilk Biscuit and Tiny Scarecrow, the funniest muppet this side of Kermit, they explore different components of music -- tempo, melody, or emotion, for example. Want to listen for yourself? Then try their second kids album, Old McDonald's EIEI Radio, released this spring. Lest this sound somewhat dry, let me assure you that it's not. It's rarely didactic, and the show would much rather make its point through humor, as in the classic "Chickens Playing Bongos," which features many different instruments (ferrets playing french horns, for example). The skit "Traffic Report" demonstrates the importance of conducting by illustrating what can sometimes happen without a conductor helping to orchestrate musicians' entrances and exits. The music is pretty darn good, too. Buford and Dusty (better known to friends in Austin as Allen Robertson and Jerome Schoolar) have some fabulous Americana roots arrangements of children's classics -- "Oh, Susanna!" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" are particularly sharp. But they don't limit themselves to Americana. Their revisionist lyrics to Jacques Offenbach's classical "Can Can" (as a how-to entitled "The Can, Can!") are a hoot and a half, while The 'All Coming 'Round the Mountain' Music Block," shows how the same song can be arranged in many different ways (one of which is, apparently, lovingly ripping off the guitar riff from the Beatles' "Daytripper"). Some of the originals are classics (the aforementiond "Chickens Playing Bongos," the snappy "Make Your Shoes Move!," which includes Tiny Scarecow's classic, "Help! I'm being chased by bees... No, that's OK, they were just bees of the mind"), while I don't think the slow songs near the end worked quite as well. Maybe if there were visuals...

Review: Dream Big! - Roger Day

Let's get the negative out of the way right from the get-go: "Turn Off the TV" might just be the worst kids' song you'll hear this year. Not only is it very "you should do this," it's also done in a faux-rap style. The combination may just make your kids want to turn off the CD player and turn on the TV for several hours watching Spike TV or something. OK. I've gotten that out of my system. It's not really the worst kids' song you'll hear this year -- certainly not the worst one I've heard this year. But it sticks out like a big ol' sore thumb on what is otherwise a pretty strong collection of kids' pop from Tennessee-based Roger Day on his third and just-released CD, Dream Big!. Day can craft decent kid-friendly pop tunes, and there are a number worth enjoying here. "I Like Yaks!" is a goofy little ditty which uses the percussive stylings of master percussionist Billy Jonas. Day also does a good job with character studies or studies. One of the best tracks is "Happy Hippos Hopping," a lilting mid-tempo story song about hippos playing (while the parents watch out for crocodiles). "Zachary Hated Bumblebees" is a simple tune of sorts relating the tale of poor Zachary which uses a string quartet to good effect. On one song after another, Day puts together well-sung lyrics and catchy melodies. For those of you looking for grit in your CDs, Day is not your man -- the lyrics are uplifting through and through (save for the snotty -- literally -- bonus track). The title track is almost too vague in its exhortation to "dream big!," but there are certainly way more vapid things to shout along in a catchy chorus. Day generally avoids the saccharine pits that musicians making overtly positive music sometimes fall into. Even though Day is very good at what he does, as with artists and bands like Joe McDermott and Milkshake, what he does won't resonate with every family, while others find him an essential component of their library. The music here will be most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 9. You can hear samples at the album's CD Baby page as well as at Day's music page. So, "Turn Off the TV" aside, Dream Big! is a nice collection of kid-friendly pop tunes with positive messages. Unless that description makes you run away with your fingers in your ears, then you'll want to give the CD a spin. Recommended.

Review: Under A Shady Tree - Laurie Berkner

Years from now, when there are sections in amusement parks called LaurieWorld, in which you can ride the "Buzz Buzz" bumblebee ride (you must not be any taller than 48" to ride) and eat a "We Are The Dino-Chicken Nuggets Family-Pack," younger families might wonder when exactly it was that Laurie Berkner became a kids' music superstar. The answer, of course, is her appearances on Jack's Big Music Show, the Noggin televison show centered around some music-loving puppets, which first aired in September 2005. The more logical (or obsessed) of the families might then try to figure out what CD might have led the producers to think that Berkner would be such a good fit for the show. Those families' searches would lead them to Berkner's 2002 album Under A Shady Tree. One of the ways in which kids' music is different from most other genres is that its primary audience -- the kids -- don't really care about artistic progression or the order of album releases. Your kids probably can't tell you what order Berkner's CDs were released. But you can tell that Berkner's stretching out musically a bit here. She adds horns to the mix on "This Hat." "Mahalo" has Hawaiian influences, natch, while "Boody Boody Ya Ya Ya" has a pensive, non-major-chord sound. In short, the songs and arrangements here might be the most intriguing Berkner has written. They are not, however, instantaneously catchy, or at least compared to the high bar Berkner had previously set. There is no lightning-bolt of a classic like "We Are the Dinosaurs" or "Victor Vito" here. "Rhubarb Pie (Hot Commodity)" has some sweet harmony, but it's no "Doodlebugs." "I'm Gonna Catch You," "Who's That?," and "Running Down the Hill" are fine enough, but the title track is one of those too-simple songs that parents will tire of quickly. The album's 52-minute runtime doesn't help matters -- there are too many songs here that are interesting but not necessarily must-hears. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 2 through 7 and you can find it pretty much anywhere CDs are sold. If I sound negative here, it's because I think Berkner set such a high standard for the genre with her earlier CDs, particularly her first two CDs. There are still a number of good songs here, and if your family liked Laurie Berkner's earlier work, you'll probably enjoy this. Under A Shady Tree is not where I'd start out exploring Berkner's music, however. It's recommended, but not essential. (But your kids will probably love the "Running Down the Hill" play area of LaurieWorld.)

Review: The Cougar of Haycock Woods - The Harley String Band

I'm already tired of PTA fundraisers, and our daughter has just cleared kindergarten. I'd be less tired, perhaps, if our PTA helped put together something like The Cougar of Haycock Woods, the 2007 debut CD from the DC-area trio The Harley String Band. Cougar Woods is a nature-based learning curriculum for Haycock Elementary in McLean, Virginia. The album was conceived as a fundraiser for the PTA, but it also took its inspiration from the curriculum itself, as the songs all have a strong nature and ecological focus. A number of the songs, like the leadoff track "Running in the Poison Ivy," take a mostly jocular approach ("Point your finger and wag your tongue / Bossin' me around till the bell is rung / Well don’t go getting all high and mighty /Look, you’s standing in poison ivy"). Others take a more serious approach, as in the title track, which sings about a centuries of human-cougar interaction -- from the cougar's perspective. Not all the songs are quite so ecologically direct. "Cloud Shape Animals" packs its message punch not from emphasizing the fragility of animals on the planet but instead from emphasizing the difficulty of imagination as one ages. And the best track on the CD, "Drifting Away," a gorgeous tune with gentle string accompaniment, has no obvious natural connection except for the title metaphor. Over the 50-minute runtime, there are a few songs that aren't as compelling as the rest (I could do without the silliness of "Ode to Milkweed," for example), but for a narrowly-focused thematic album, it maintains its general interest remarkably well. Musically, this is straight-up folk and Americana, with a little bit of pop thrown in. The instrumentals are well-done, with what must be a good dozen folk instruments (cittern, banjo, pennywhistle, and jaw harp among them) employed. Vocally, I prefered the sweeter voice of Jim Johnson and Jim Clark to the somewhat nasally voice of Steve Coffee (who wrote and sings the majority of the tracks here), but as I always say, that's a personal thing. Kids from Haycock Elementary make a few appearances, too. The whole sound has a ragged feeling, though in a good way. Kids ages 4 through 9 will most appreciate the album. You can hear a few tracks and read lyrics to the album here or at the band's CD Baby page. In the annals of kids' CDs born out of school fundraisers, Frances England's Fascinating Creatures might be the gold standard. But The Cougar of Haycock Woods is a solid collection of nature-based songs, a highly recommended choice for a nature-based curriculum in schools or Earth Day. But it's got enough charm that it's worth a spin at other times and in other places. And maybe it'll even inspire a few more PTAs to give up their chocolate bar sales for something more fulfilling. Recommended.

Review: Hey, Everybody! - Hullabaloo

One of the advantages of having listened to and reviewed kids and family music for a decent period of time is that you get to see bands and artists grow over time. Take, for instance, the San Diego-based band Hullabaloo. Here's what I said about their first album for kids, Sing Along With Sam: "The downside of the album is that although band members Steve Denyes and Brendan Kremer are talented musicians, it's hard to generate a lot of musical variety with just two musicians, so there's not much to interest the listener on weaker tracks such as 'Mary Ann.'" I said other, nicer stuff, too, but I was definitely thought there was room for improvement. Enter their latest album, the recently-released Hey, Everybody!, which in addition to Denyes and Kremer features some guest musicians providing some backup in the way of bass, electric guitar, banjo, and dobro. All of a sudden, the two-person band sounds like, well, a band. (And a good one. I mean, they were good before, but it was just the two of 'em. It sounds, at points, miles better.) The songs haven't changed so much. You still have songs in a country-tinged folk vein, but a song like the leadoff title track, a country rocker, sounds more... complete. The band couldn't have pulled it off before just as a duo. (The original instrumental "Lucy MacLean" also shows off the band's skills.) Another fun song is "Blah, Blah, Blah," which so completely nails the experience of being a kid and not caring about what the adults are rambling on about that the adults are likely to have flashbacks and possibly feel a little guilty. Denyes, who wrote 8 of the 12 tracks here (the other four are traditional tunes), has a full, distinctive voice that I personally think works better on some songs than others. The two sea-related songs, the amusing original "Polite Pete" and the traditional "John Kanaka," are great fits; other songs, such as "La Bamba," are less so. But, as always, my vocal preferences may not match yours... The songs here are probably most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7 again. You can hear samples of the 29-minute album at the band's Music page or at the album's CDBaby page. Also, I just want to say that the packaging is a textbook example of how to make inexpensive album packaging look very good. It's a fairly simple cardboard case with lyrics printed inside and the few credits on the back. It's possible to do something more expensive that's nicer, of course, but the band clearly took a little time and effort into making the packaging look good, and it shows. This album isn't perfect, but it's got enough good songs to make it worth further exploration. It's the sound of a band slowly finding their musical niche and using their strengths. I fully expect the next album to be even better, but for now Hey, Everybody! will do fine. Recommended.