If you're new here, you can see songs 46 through 50 here.

And there's still time to enter the contest.

On to songs 41 through 45...

45. "Fee Fi Fo Fum" - Ralph's World: There are many great Ralph's World songs, but this I think this song is likely to stick around, combining simple lyrics ("It doesn’t matter what you look like if you got some Fee Fi Fo Fum / It doesn’t matter what you look like and let me tell you everybody got some") with an infectious melodic line. It will make for great covers many years from now. (Listen to the whole song at Ralph's music page.)

44. "Conjunction Junction" - Bob Dorough: The whole Schoolhouse Rock! series was a flash of inspiration, trying to use the medium of advertising to hook kids on learning. This song, like so many others in the series, took complex subjects and rendered them instantly easy to grasp. The cartoon visuals are fabulous, of course, but even divested of those visuals, tracks like this one are still models of songwriting thirty years after they were first written. (Listen to samples from the orignal show here.)

43. "Muffin Man" - traditional: Do you know the Muffin Man? The Muffin Man? On Drury Lane? The basis for a joke in the Shrek movies. Unsurprisingly, the song comes from England. In researching this entry, I learned that Frank Zappa sang a version of the song. The Ralph's World version I suspect is more conventional, but it's got a fun energy nonetheless. (Listen to a sample of Ralph's version at Ralph's music page.)

42. "Frog Went Courting" - traditional: In his liner notes to his We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions disk, Bruce Springsteen says this song can be tracked back to (at least) a Scottish tune from 1549. It seems to me that any song that gets recorded 450 years after originally written deserves some sort of spot on this list. (Besides Bruce, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Dan Zanes, and scores of others have recorded the song. Here's a Pete Seeger version.)

41. "Rubber Duckie" - OK, my all-time Sesame Street performance is R.E.M. singing "Furry Happy Monsters," but I'm pretty sure that this song here will be sung many years from now. It has a timeless ragtime feel. If only I could find a rubber duckie that squeaked like Ernie's. (I'm not gonna post a listen link, because the one I'm enjoying now is squeaking past copyright law. You're smart. Google it.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

With experience singing in Old Town School of Folk Music Wiggleworms classes, Chicago-based Ann Torralba would seem a logical choice for recording a CD targeted at the preschool set. And sure enough her debut kids' CD as "Little Miss Ann," Music For Tots, is geared for exactly those kids. A folk-poppy blend of traditional kids' songs, covers, and originals, the 22-minute disk is notable for its arrangements, which take out-of-the-ordinary approaches to familiar songs. Sometimes these arrangements sound great, such as on "You Are My Sunshine," which is given a different melody and jazzy percussion background, or "Pirate Ship," which employs a tin whistle to fun effect. Other tracks' arrangements aren't as endearing (the rhythm on the Pete Seeger-inspired "Edamame" was just, well, too angular, for example), but Torralba gets points for at least trying something different. (And I particularly enjoyed the Torralba originals.)

The disk is appropriate for kids ages 1 through 5. You can hear samples of all the tracks (and purchase the CD) here. With its reinterpretations of traditional songs, this disk would work really well in preschool programs. And while I don't think the CD will become the favorite of many families, Little Miss Ann's musical and lyrical re-interpretations on Music For Tots are good for the occasional sing-along for young families.

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Aw, c'mon, let's actually make it into 2007 before we start seeing examples of why the bloom is off the kids' music rose...

This note on the Terrible Twos' website:

The record will be available in stores nation wide in March. It was supposed to come out in January on Kid Rhino but they folded. So, now it's coming out on Paquito Records in March.

Worst. Ramp. Up. Ever.

I'm trying to get some confirmation of this, but even if it has everything to do with WEA and nothing to do with kids' music, it's still sorta sad -- I was looking forward to seeing what a label with Warner's resources could do with the album.

Still, for all you people looking for Terrible Twos' lyrics (seeing as I steadfastly refuse to break copyright law by posting 'em), coloring pages with lyrics for "Caroline," "We Can All Get Along With Dinosaurs," "If You Ever See An Owl," and "Oneplusoneistwo" are now available at the band's Myspace page. No chords, but this way you can sing along.

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On his latest album What's Eatin' Yosi?, Yosi sings about all sorts of food.

But not trout.

To atone for the oversight, Yosi has posted an interview with Ezra and Keith of Trout Fishing in America. Oh, and there's a contest to win a new TFA CD or DVD, too. Hurry up, entries are due Sunday the 31st.

(I should note that based on Yosi's recent set of interviews, I'm officially adding him to the sidebar...)

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Austin's Jellydots have posted a new tour date on their Myspace page -- the mysteriously-named and possibly-incorrectly-spelled "Greasypaloosa" in Portland, Oregon on March 11, 2007.

Hmmmm.... could our friends Belinda and Hova have anything to do with this?

(And I think "Palooza" has now officially entered the lexicon as the arts' world's "-Gate.")

By the way, for those of you wanting to strum along at home to the fabulous songs on Hey You Kids!, song charts are now available here. Kinda appropriate, seeing how the songs were originally created to, uh, help teach kids how to play guitar. (Hey, how would they sound on ukelele?...)

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the comments I really liked from the Dan Zanes interview was the following:

As long as you know that it might feel a little funny at first, the main thing is that everybody throw themselves into it in any way they can and that they shed their inhibitions. That's easier said than done, but the reason I love being in the world of new parents is because they're really doing that every day. They're doing things they've never done before every day, they're in semi-embarrassing situations...

Chris Ott's article for the Village Voice at least is honest about his attempt to influence his kid's musical tastes. He realizes that he's "programming his kid," but at least he seems not to be doing it because it's cool, but because he likes the music. (And at least he recognizes that "Puff the Magic Dragon" will play a role in his kid's musical experience, too.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, time for me to take a break and enjoy time with my family listening to and making music. I'll be back before the New Year with a review or two, another installment of the "Top 50" songs, and one or two other things.

And I've got a few surprises up my sleeve for 2007.

Thanks to everyone for reading. Happy Holidays!

P.S. -- There's one wrapped for me that'll go under the tree on Sunday, but if you didn't get yours last time, Dan Zanes has got a new shipment of ukeleles. You'll have to wait 'til January, though...

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've been meaning to mention this for awhile now, but if you grooved to the music of Hoodwinked, there's some new music from Todd Edwards, the co-director of the movie, and the man responsible for much of the movie's awesome soundtrack.

Edwards' creation, Blick Van Glory has its own website and Myspace page. The Myspace page has 4 songs streaming, and while they're not really kids-related, they are some great power-pop and alt-pop tunes with a very '80s vibe. "The Sophomores" has the video, but my favorite is "Eskimo Love Song." Or maybe "Odyssey John." I don't know. They're all good. The album is due for a spring 2007 release.

By the way, co-directors Todd and Cory Edwards both explained in notes to me or comments here why you can't buy the Hoodwinked soundtrack except on eBay. As Cory stated in the comments on my review of the album, "is due to contract disputes between the movie's investor and the record company. As the director, I can tell you that it was completely out of the hands of the filmmakers... and it absolutely KILLS us that no one can easily buy this product now. It is a fantastic disc and booklet that Ryko did a great job on and we're very proud of it. I have faith that it will resurface someday."

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By the way, it's too late for Christmas, but the awesome cover to Liz Mitchell's awesome You Are My Little Bird CD is now available in a limited edition run of 250. It's autographed and comes with a copy of the CD. (Which, since you probably have the CD, you can give away to some other person who'll be blown away by the album.)

You can get the print through the cover artist Ida Pearle's website.

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not Naptime, the title of the 2003 album from Chicago-based Justin Roberts is somewhat misleading. This album, Roberts' third for kids, is probably his most down-tempo, the one most I'd most likely play, well, not at naptime, but at least at quiet time.

To be honest, I've always thought Roberts' rave-ups and alt-pop were his best tunes -- think "Yellow Bus," "Our Imaginary Rhino," or "Day Camp." And so I think the best tracks here are similar -- the furiously played "D-O-G," or "Billy the Bully," an alt-poppy story-song about taking on bullies with a tension-filled bridge, released with a chorus of "one-by-one-by-one-by-one." The gentler songs, sometimes they work (the now slightly anachronistic "Nine Planets") and some are just OK ("Nightlight"). I should note, however, that Roberts is one of the best at writing the album-closing slow song that just about every kids' album seems to have. Here, he's so good that he's written two fine closers, "Dad Caught Stars" and "Last Night the Moon was Full."

With a couple of songs about school on the disk, the target audience here is probably ages 4 through 8. You can hear some samples here (or a full version of "Billy the Bully") at Roberts' website's radio player.

Roberts' oeuvre is broad enough that each of his five CDs is probably the favorite of several families. Not Naptime is certainly a good album, and recommended. Whether this most mellow of Roberts' CDs is your family's favorite depends on how you and your family like your Justin Roberts -- faster or slower.

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My grand plan to list a bunch of Christmas songs this December kinda fell apart under the typical rush of December activities, but I didn't want to forget the Sippy Cups' slightly-slowed down version of "Jingle Bell Rock," now available at their Myspace page.

(Thanks, by the way, to Gwyneth, who first pointed out the song at the Sippy Cups' own website. If you're not reading Gwyneth's site on a daily basis, you're missing out on some great roundups of news.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Usually when I review CDs that aren't of the most recent vintage, it's because I want to go back and touch on a reasonably well-known CD and see whether or not it's stood the test of time (recognizing that that test might just be two or three years long). I've been writing reviews in one form or another for five years now, and even though I might not have reviewed everything, I've heard quite a bit, and heard of a lot more. But every now and then I stumble across a CD that makes we wonder how this escaped my radar screen.

Down at the Zoo falls into the latter category.

Even though I'm just now hearing the CD, it didn't completely escape notice -- it won an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal award. But this 2002 disk, from Austin musicians George Carver and Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne (each with more "adult" recordings and bands), deserves greater attention, even almost five years later, because it's an excellent collection of family-friendly tunes.

The 35-minute CD includes 10 songs, all about the zoo or zoo animals. This theme, however, doesn't become at all tiring because the tracks are so strong. From the Cajun-styled opening title track all the way through to the final reggae tune, "Jammin' at the Zoo," Carver and Welbourne have crafted strong melodies and matched them with accessible lyrics. The pure country of "I Don't Like My Cage" touches on the good and bad of zoos for endangered species ("I don't like my cage / It's not where I should be / But it's all that's keeping my kind / from being a memory.")

On top of that, Carver and Welbourne have recruited an able group of musicians to join them on these tunes, which besides those mentioned above include the folk-blues ("They Got Feet"), big band ("Jungle Swingers"), and what a Tom Waits kids' track might sound like ("Snake House"). The band really tears it up on my favorite track, the soulful and funky "The Funky Yak."

The album's best for kids ages 2 through 7, though older kids may still dig it well past the age of 7. You can hear samples at the album's CDBaby page.

Better late than never? In this case, yes. Down at the Zoo may be five years old, but this fine album is worth a listen even today. Definitely recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another day, another YAKMA (Yet Another Kids Music Article), this time from the fine folks at Tiny Mix Tapes, which I've been reading for a number of years now. (Really.)

It's a detailed article on the current crop of "adult" artists making kids music, with quotes from Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Paper Bag Records' Leila Hebden and a review of classic albums from years past. The article never really gets into which ones are "excellent" and which are "crappier than crappy nappies," but, oh well.

While I'm not sure it's of much news to regular readers here, the article certainly casts outside the regular cast of characters normally interviewed for a YAKMA. It also provides this one nugget of information that's news to me: Saint Etienne plans to release the Up the Wooden Hills EP as a full album in 2007. I knew that was the plan eventually, but had not seen a date (or an article with a Saint Eitenne quote) before. I've been meaning to review the EP for some time now -- better make sure I do that before the full album is released...

Posted by SAShepherd at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first region-specific release in its Dreamland series, Putumayo's Asian Dreamland collection was released earlier this month with, yes, a collection of lullabies from Asia. Coincidence or not, it's one of the few areas of the world that Ellipsis Arts hasn't covered in its collections of world lullabies.

Although I keep an open set of ears when it comes to music, after more than three decades of listening to it, I've certainly developed some preferences, and one of those is a general indifference to music from Asia. I think it's perhaps the stringed instruments found in many Asian melodies, which may be relaxing to some, but not to me. So it came as little surprise to me that my favorite tracks on this 32-minute disk were those that downplayed the stringed instruments, such as "Cradle Song," from the Tatarstan artis Zulya, or "Aka Tonbo," a Japanese lullaby sung by Aiko Shimada and Elizabeth Falconer. Instrumentals like "Asadoya Yunta," which features a shamisen, a 3-stringed instrument similar to a banjo, were less pleasant to me. As slow as the instrumentals were, they would definitely keep me awak.

But one of the advantages of youth is that the ears of the young haven't developed their prejudices like their stick-in-the-mud dads, and so it's possible your kids will be incredibly relaxed by this collection. At the very least, it's a user-friendly collection of traditional Asian tracks supplemented by Putumayo's always helpful liner notes (you think I could identify a shamisen by myself?) A collection of lullabies, it's most appropriate for kids ages 0 through 6, though I'm sure older kids interested in traditional Asian music would find this a useful starter. Listen to Real Player samples here. Again, this collection is not for everyone, but if you're willing to try something new, Putumayo as usual offers you a good place to start.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Sally Timms-directed video for "Toenail Moon," originally on the Animal Crackers CD (review here), has now been posted to YouTube. It's cute, in a lo-fi, did-the-kids-help-with-some-of-the-decorations-and-sock-puppetry sort of way.

Plus, the song's sweet.

Posted by SAShepherd at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So here's the first installment of my quixotic attempt to produce a list of the Top 50 Kids Songs of All Time.

In general this list is supposed to produce a list of songs familiar to a wide range of kids, at least in English-speaking North America. (OK, I realize that's not quite so wide.) As we approach #1, the songs are more likely to be "classics," recorded multiple times, and familiar enough to people for them to join in singing spontaneously. Which is not to say that more recent and more recording-focused tunes won't make the list, just that they're probably more the exception than the rule.

And remember, if you haven't entered the contest to pick the top five, go do so now.

Without any further ado, then, here we go...

50. "Bicycle" - The Jellydots: Did I say this song wouldn't make this list? OK, I changed my mind. Of course, a lot of the Jellydots' tunes were written to help teacher guitar to kids, so maybe 20 years from now some 10-year-old kid will jam out on her own guitar to this. (Listen at the Jellydots' Myspace page.)

49. "Tricycle" - Lunch Money: "This tricycle / Was my brother's tricycle / And that's why it has / This dent in the fender." Lunch Money's debut Silly Reflection is a small gem of a CD and I could've picked any one of a half-dozen excellent songs here, but this one is the most accessible and relatable to kids and their parents. (Listen at Lunch Money's lyrics page for "Tricycle".)

48. "Car Car" - Woody Guthrie: Hard to believe this song is, what, 50 years old? Covered by Elizabeth Mitchell on You Are My Sunshine (with a "beep beep" that still makes us swivel our heads every time we listen to it in the car), it's still timely today. (Listen to a sample of Woody's version here.)

47. "Yellow Bus" - Justin Roberts: Roberts is one of the top 2 or 3 crafters of kids pop tunes working today. This track is a fine example of his folk-pop talent merged with his ample sense of humor -- kids and parents might not necessarily sing his music on their own all the time, but they'll definitely sing along. (Listen to a sample here.)

46. "Trot Ol' Joe" - traditional: An excellent example -- the first of many -- of songs that have been shaped through the years to fit slightly different melodies and lyrics. Also an excellent example of songs to combine with physical movements with toddlers. Love the "whoooooaaa, Joe" part.

Final note: Note the common thread here? Yes, all these songs deal with modes of transportation. No, the rest of the list will not be organized quite so neatly.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Austin-based artist Sara Hickman has been making albums for well over 15 years now. I can remember owning a cassette with her self-produced debut Equal Scary People (who knows where that tape resides now?)

Several years ago, Hickman decided to record a kids CD inspired -- of course -- by the birth of her kids. And so in 1999, Hickman released Newborn, a collection of songs for "parents who have trepidation about singing to their newborns." Half collection of lullabies, half something more uptempo, the 40-minute album generally succeeds, usually in more the uptempo parts. A simple swinging version of "A-Tisket A-Tasket" or a gentle reading of Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" -- pleasant to listen to. And Hickman gives her own "A Slice of Heaven" a nifty a cappella treatment. Less successful are the lullabies. I'm a parent who has no trepidation about singing to my kids, and the lullabies here intimidate me, actually. "It's Alright" is a song Hickman created for her 4-month-old daughter, and while the lyrics are sweet and give great comfort, Hickman's strong voice is a bit overwhelming. Maybe I'm wrong here, but it doesn't sound at all like the way I would sing to a colicky baby -- it's that version that I want to hear. The lullabies are fine (I've heard much worse), but they don't always sound the way lullabies might actually be sung.

Now, if the first album occasionally suffers from a bit of preciousness, Hickman's 2001 follow-up Toddler suffers in no way whatsoever in that regard. In about 43 minutes, Hickman records 31 tracks of silly songs, playground rhymes, and a few stories that do a much better job of showing how simple it can be to just sing for your kids. In writing notes on the CD, I repeatedly used the word "fun" to describe the tracks. From the instant-classic playground chant "I Like My Boots" (co-written by Hickman and 8-year-old Kristen Nichols) to the zippy "Weenie Man" to the ear-wormy melody of Hebrew folk song "Hiney Rakevet," Hickman seems to be having a blast. It's multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and a blast of energy from start to end. Unlike Newborn, Hickman also uses a few more instruments (on both albums, the playing is great).

Sara's choice of album titles makes it remarkably easy for this reviewer to peg the age range, though I'd go a little on the older side, 0-4 for Newborn, and 1-6 for Toddler. You can hear samples and read lyrics for Newborn here and a few samples from Toddler here.

Sara Hickman has crafted a couple nice CDs here. With some sweet melodies, Newborn might make a nice gift for a parent-to-be and is recommended, if only because it's not totally lullaby-driven. But it's Toddler that's definitely recommended -- it's the stronger album and will get much more use owing to the fun evident on the disk.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Between interviews and other miscellaneous posts, I've been the recipient of much text here on the website authored by other generous people.

Well, in the spirit of this giving season, The Lovely Mrs. Davis gave me the opportunity to be part of her fun series of Christmas-related guest posts, and I gave her some thoughts on the 10, er, 11 Christmas CDs we own. Stop by Amy's site to see our family's nomination for best cereal-related CD ever, among other things. And thanks, Amy!

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An interesting discussion over at (sm)all ages about the Terrible Twos and the Wiggles, the closest thing to a KIDS MUSIC BLOGGERS FITE! I've seen in some time. It's worth reading.

In any case, the album, which is pretty awesome, is going to be re-released on Kid Rhino at the end of January. But you can order it now from CDBaby, and here's the cool part -- rather than listening to the same two songs sampled at the Terrible Twos' website over and over, the CDBaby page has nice more-than-30-second samples of all the songs.

(As for my take on the debate, I agree with Eric that it's just poor form for a musician to slag on another musician. Spend time talking about what makes your music yours, not defining it by what it's not. But I think Jeff's close to the mark when he talks about the commercialization aspect. Combine that with the narrow distribution channels of most kids music, and it's no wonder that many parents get tired of the Wiggles... it's because it's the only game in town, the only thing you see as you're tooling around Target with your kids. There's a lot of great music out there -- it's one of the reasons I've been writing about kids music for five years now -- but it takes work to find it, and most families know that time can be a scarce resource.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You might think Dan Zanes is mostly artistic musically, but his family creates art in other ways. His sister Julia and her husband, his brother-in-law Donald Saaf, exhibit their paintings in galleries, and Donald has done the artwork for all five of Dan Zanes' family albums.

So if you're Dan and you're thinking of doing a book, who do you turn to? Donald, of course.

In 2004, Zanes and Saaf released Hello Hello and followed that up in 2005 with Jump Up!. Each book comes with a 5-song EP of music Zanes recorded with his band, accompanied by Saaf's paintings. Of the two EPs, I think Jump Up!'s is the stronger of the two. Perhaps it's the perkier, more uptempo nature of the songs on the collection, but I found the latter CD a better collection of songs. I also think it's more diverse, following up "Hal-An-Tow," an English song on which David Jones makes an appearance with "Mango Walk," a fun Jamaican folk song. In other words, it sounds more like an actual Dan Zanes album than the Hello Hello EP, which I found less diverse. I did like "Alabama Bound," but also thought the re-recorded version of "Hello" on the EP sounded too muddy.

The books themselves are OK -- Saaf's drawings are fun and filled with fun details, but he's illustrating the title tracks' song lyrics which don't, in and of themselves, have much of a plot. They're nice to look at, but not the most compelling books by themselves. The books also have notes, chords, lyrics, and liner notes for each of the songs on the EP, to help the readers who want to play the songs on their own.

I think the books are most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. (The songs on each of the 13-14-minute EPs are appropriate for everybody, natch. They're Dan Zanes!) You can get the books at many booksellers, and you can watch a video for "Hello" (the original version, but featuring Saaf's artwork similar to that in the book) here. You can also purchase the EPs on iTunes here as an album called Social Music, minus "Hello," but plus the Loudon-less video version of "All Around the Kitchen".

The music on Hello Hello and Jump Up! is similar in nature to a set of B-sides, some songs just as strong as the regular albums, others OK, but nothing special. If you have friends who don't know Dan Zanes, this isn't a bad way to introduce them. If your family includes Dan Zanes fans, they'll like these, though they're not as essential as the regular albums. But even less-than-essential Dan Zanes music is still recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Not to be confused with YAKMA (Yet Another Kids Music Article), YAKMC reflects what will certainly be a trend to watch in 2007 -- compilations of kids music by "adult" artists.

I've known about this compilation for a few months now, but now that it has a release date, it's time to get the word out.

DeSoto Records, home to artists such as Jawbox and (the late) Dismemberment Plan, has finally announced a April 17, 2007 release date for its three-years-in-the-making compilation Play. With artists such as the Young Fresh Fellows, Mudhoney, and Supersuckers, it will at the very least be interesting to listen to.

(By the way, if you're a fan of Jawbox, you may be interested in the news regarding Callum Robbins, the infant son of Jawbox singer/guitarist J. Robbins (who's gone on to produce bands such as Jets to Brazil). Cal has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and the DeSoto website is soliciting donations on behalf of the family for what will likely be expensive medical bills.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To those of you new to the site and getting here via the NPR interview, welcome. More details on the site are here.

I'm getting a bunch of new CDs, but am always in interested in hearing more. Want to add to my listening pile? Find out how here.

For the rest of you, I promise I'll be getting to the Top 50 Kids Songs very soon. In the meanwhile, read my review of They Might Be Giants' Bed Bed Bed book/CD or read how Mates of State parent.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In 2003, They Might Be Giants teamed up with illustrator Marcel Dzama to produce Bed Bed Bed, an illustrated book with an accompanying CD of four original TMBG songs. Why it took me, an avowed TMBG fan, until 2006 to get the collection, still puzzles me. But since we're in the season of gift-giving, it seemed like an appropriate time to review it.

The songs in the CD and book are supposedly ordered in a way to transition the reader to sleep. While I understand the theory (the first two songs are uptempo, the second two are not), it would work better if the first two songs weren't, well, quite so good. "Impossible," about a child who's been "impossible," deftly explores the double meaning of the word and mixes in new words such as "octo-fish." The best track, "Happy Doesn't Have to Have an Ending," is a good song to have in mind generally, but especially as you start thinking about bed. But the 12-minute CD doesn't finish up as well. The lullaby "Idlewild" is OK, but the reworked "Bed Bed Bed" from their No! disk is a misfire, as it replaces the awesome "A Day In The Life"-esque theatrics of the album version with a plodding tuba-accented version. I like tubas, even and especially in my They Might Be Giants, but this doesn't work so well.

Marcel Dzama's are artful and, as befitting a TMBG project, delightfully skewed (I particularly liked the pet octopus), but having the song lyrics draped across the page doesn't work so well for reading. (And I should note that the pages are regular paper pages, so those families accustomed to reading board books to their 2-year-old TMBG fans may have some difficulties here.)

Like most TMBG works, this is pretty much an all-ages affair, but I think it's most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can watch the "Idlewild" video at the GiantKid website.

It's hard to recommend the book just for the brief EP or just the drawings, but Bed Bed Bed would make one fine gift for a family with a They Might Be Giants fan in the household (no matter what age).

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'll have more words on Christmas albums old and young later in the month, but for now, a brief note -- Mr. David has a new song up at his Myspace site -- "Frosty the Snowman." Available for download, it's a laid-back, slightly spacy take on the song made famous by Jimmy Durante. Sounds exactly what you'd think "Frosty the Snowman" sung by Mr. David would sound like. (And that's a good thing.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When playing toddler standards, simplicity works wonders, but it's also nice to take a slightly different approach from the hundreds of recordings that have preceded you. Josh Levine for Kids, from New York City musician Josh Levine stands out from most by mixing in some Latin songs in with the English-language standards (and sometimes reworking those). For example, Levine turns the "Alphabet Song" and the "Hokey Pokey" into gentle mambos. (I liked the slight but snappy "I Am a Pumpkin," featuring the Venezuelan cuatro, in particular.) On the Latin side, the slinky "Tiburon" ("Shark") showcases Levine's keyboard work and "Mi Cuerpo Hace Musica" has nice percussion work from Levine and Guillermo Cardenas. Levine also lends his alto to his own music accompanying Edith Segal's "A Real Bouquet," a sweet song in praise of diversity.

Though the album encourages movement on the part of the listener, in general it exudes the mellow vibe of a lazy, sun-drenched afternoon. I kept on having "Getz/Gilberto" flashbacks -- I wasn't expecting "The Girl from Ipanema," really, but there's a certain timelessness to the jazzy Latin rhythms that will keep it from aging. I think the 22-minute album's most appropriate for kids ages 2 through 7. You can hear samples at Josh's music for kids page.

Whether you're looking for some slightly different takes on toddler favorites, to broaden your family's musical palette, or just for a nice, low-key 20-minute timeout, Josh Levine For Kids is a good place to start. Recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

One of the weirder things things about the NPR interview this week was that not only did that story appear higher on NPR's top e-mailed story list than the venerable music critic Robert Christgau's piece on crunk, so did my list of the top 20 kids' music albums of the year. I still don't know if that was a good or a bad thing, but perhaps kids' music -- one of the few genres Christgau hasn't really touched on in his long career -- is a genre he might want to explore.

Well, anyway, news this week that Christgau has moved his "Consumer Guide" record reviews to MSN. It's well worth your time every other month to read his reviews. And, what do you know? One of Christgau's favorite records in his MSN debut? The Gothic Archies' The Tragic Treasury, the Lemony Snicket-inspired CD from Stephin Merritt. Hmmm... I've reviewed that here, too.

Perhaps there's hope for the guy yet...

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Why, yes, yes it would. Frances England's got herself a spiffied-up website and a video and slideshow to boot. Now if only Lunch Money and the Jellydots would jump in with videos for their awesome three- and two-wheeled songs...

Posted by SAShepherd at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards were released today and, as always, they included two children's-related fields.

Regular readers of the site will have a "one of these things is not like the other" moment.

First off, the lists...

Best Musical Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

Baby Einstein Meet The Orchestra - Various Artists (Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers) [Walt Disney Records]
Beethoven's Wig 3: Many More Sing Along Symphonies - Beethoven's Wig [Rounder] (my review)
Catch That Train! - Dan Zanes And Friends [Festival Five Records] (my review)
My Best Day - Trout Fishing In America [Trout Records] (my review)
The Sunny Side Of The Street - John Lithgow [Razor & Tie] (my review)

Best Spoken Word Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs - Bill Harley [Round River Records/Empyrean Records]
Christmas In The Trenches - John McCutcheon [Peachtree Press]
Disney's Little Einsteins Musical Missions - Various Artists (Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers)[Walt Disney Records]
Peter Pan - Jim Dale [Listening Library]
The Witches - Lynn Redgrave [Harper Children's Audio]

Now, the spoken word I can't speak coherently to (though it's always nice to see Bill Harley get recognized).

The musical album category, well, that's something different. Four of the albums I (obviously) recognize and while I have a clear favorite (hint: rhymes with "fan lanes"), I can't say that the Academy would clearly embarrass themselves by selecting any of those four.

Now, as for Baby Einstein... Look, I actually kinda like Baby Einstein music products -- we have a CD or two of theirs around the house, and I don't find it annoying like others do. But its presence here in this category (making clear I have not heard this album) just seems wrong. Like putting a straight-to-video movie in the category for Best Picture. It might be really good, it just seems wrong.

Its presence actually highlights a drawback with the Grammy process, and that's the fact that you typically need strong distribution or familiarity in order to be nominated. Three of the five nominated albums are on actual labels that could probably afford some distribution to a broader set of voters. More importantly, all of the names are familiar ones -- sure, Dan Zanes and Trout Fishing in America are actually self-distributed, but they've both been around the music industry long enough to make enough people check 'em off on their nominating ballots.

If you're looking for another list of the year's best kids and family CDs, check out the Fids & Kamily website...

Posted by SAShepherd at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Welcome to those of you finding your way here due to my interview with Melissa Block on Wednesday's All Things Considered, her post on her family's favorite recent kids music, my post on my favorite recent kids music, or because you accidentally typed "Zooglobble" instead of, say, "Aniston and Vaughn break up" into your favorite search engine.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. There's lots of great music for kids and families being released these days, and it's easier than ever to find out about it. I'd like to think this site's played a small role in that -- this site's been active since 2004, and since that time I've reviewed more than 140 CDs, conducted several interviews, and generally spread the word about kids music and musicians.

You can find reviews under the artist links on the right-hand side sidebar. If you're looking for the cream of the (recent) crop, here's my list of the year's 20 best albums, with links. For an even more broad-based approach, check out the 2006 Fids & Kamily Poll, a collection of Top 10 lists from a whole bunch of people who've spent a fair amount of time listening to kids and family music. (My reviews of the winning albums are here, but you should definitely check out the F&K site.)

You might also be interested in the following links:
-- Reviews of the Wee Hairy Beasties' Animal Crackers, Johnny Bregar's Hootenanny, the Jellydots' Hey You Kids!, and Sam Hinton's Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts, all mentioned in the interview. Also, another fall album worth checking out is the Sippy Cups' Electric Storyland.
-- Links to my reviews of albums mentioned by Melissa Block in her listing of her family's favorite kids CDs.
-- Interviews with Dan Zanes, Justin Roberts, and others.
-- My beliefs as they relate to kids music, both for a slightly younger and slightly older crowd.
-- Some Frequently Asked Questions

I have a Myspace page, too. No, I'm still not quite sure why, but if you want to be my "friend," drop me a line.

If you're an artist and are interested in submitting an album for review, I'd love to hear it. Find more details on how to go about this here.

Finally, there are some dedicated writers on kids and family music included in the sidebar there to the right, and I encourage you to check 'em out, but I want to highlight sites run by my fellow Fids & Kamily organizers Amy Davis and Bill Childs, The Lovely Mrs. Davis Tells You What To Think and Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child. Amy reviews a lot of the same music I do here, but also pays attention to other kid-pop cultural stuff with a breezy writing style. And Bill and his 7-year-old daughter Ella have a great kids radio show that's available via podcast every Saturday (with fun updates during the week).

If you've made it this far, I'm amazed. Have fun exploring and thanks for stopping by.

Posted by SAShepherd at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

It's time for the first-ever Zooglobble contest.

Later this week, I'll start counting down my (highly subjective) list of the top 50 kids songs of all time.

And I have a bright, shiny new CD for the person who can most closely guess my Top 5.

I'm talking about classics here, not an idiosyncratic list of songs. I'll be listing songs that kids and artists have sung over and over, mostly songs that many American kids have heard at least a few times in their lives. In other words, I might think the Jellydots' "Bicycle" is an awesome song (because it is), but it's fairly new and hasn't had a chance to make its way into the kids music culture. Having said that, my list won't solely be composed of public-domain classics -- look for some newer songs to be on the list, too.

The rules:
1. List your guesses in order from 1 to 5 in the comments of this post.
2. You get one guess -- your first one and that's all.
3. You will need to include your e-mail in your guess.
4. The winner will be the person who guesses the #1 song.
5. Assuming there's a tie in #4, the winner will be the person who guesses the most songs in my top 5.
6. Assuming there's a tie in #5, the winner will be the person who guesses the right placement in #2, then #3, etc.
7. If there's still a tie, well, we'll see what we can do.
8. All entries are due before I post songs #20 and above. (I expect to post roughly 10 per week.)

No, I don't know yet what CD the winner will receive, but it'll be a CD of high-quality kids' music, of that I can guarantee.

If you have questions, post 'em here, too. Have fun!

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Tries not to say anything really silly.

If you glance today at the rundown for Tuesday's NPR afternoon/evening newsprogram All Things Considered, you'll see a note that the Wednesday Dec. 6 show will include a piece with some guy talking about kids' music... hey, wait, that's me!

Yes, I did really say "on their own time and their own dime." My wife said, "But that's so cliched!" I pointed out that I actually combined two cliched phrases. Which makes it not cliched.

You can go to the rundown page above after 4 PM EST today for a link to my interview, which will also include an audio link after 7:30 PM EST. If, you know, you don't actually listen to National Public Radio on the radio.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Perhaps patrons of the Bowery Club on Dec. 31 will find out, as Gustafer Yellowgold will be opening up for the jazz musician Hayes Greenfield for an early New Year's Eve show, complete with noon ball drop. Two of New York's finer kids'-related artists teaming up -- should be awesome.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I should note that I'm not posting this because fans of Mr. Richard are without a doubt the most devoted kids' music fans I know of. (Don't believe me? Check out this Fids & Kamily post for a taste.)

OK, maybe just a little bit.

But it does show one way kids and family music is gradually seeping into mainstream music culture.

Flipping through my November issue of Paste magazine, I was struck by a full-page ad for Redeye Distribution/Borders, which included writeups for albums from several rootsy (roots-ish, roots-like) artists, including Marah, Billy Bragg, and the Pernice Brothers. One of the eight artists mentioned? Mr. Richard.

Of course, the ad notes that the item is "not available in all Borders location" -- distribution is still the final frontier for most kids' musicians.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

To those of you visiting here from Melissa Block's post on CDs her family's been enjoying, welcome. You'll find over 140 reviews of CDs here (all accessible from the artist links on the right-hand side of the page), plus news and interviews squeezed in whenever I can find the time.

For what it's worth, you can follow the links below to my reviews of the albums Melissa lists...

-- Catch That Train! - Dan Zanes and Friends (review / interview)
-- You Are My Little Bird - Elizabeth Mitchell (review)
-- New Orleans Playground - Various Artists / Putumayo (review)
-- Alphabet Songs - Steve Weeks (Vol. 2 review, Vol. 3 review)
-- The Johnny Cash Children's Album - Johnny Cash (review)
-- Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts - Sam Hinton (review)

And thanks for stopping by!

Posted by SAShepherd at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After hearing his debut kids' CD Stomp Yer Feet!, I saddled the Seattle-based musician Johnny Bregar with perhaps an unfortunate tag -- the next Raffi. I considered it a compliment, thinking of Bregar's gifted voice and occasionally soulful reinterpretation of preschooler classics, but there are enough people out there who have such a knee-jerk reaction to the mere mention of Raffi's name that I didn't expect it to be a marketing gold mine.

On his second album for kids, the just-released Hootenanny, Bregar neatly escapes the "next Raffi" tag by pitching his songs at a slightly older crowd. Gone are toddler classics such as "If You're Happy and You Know It" or "I've Been Working on the Railroad," in are folk classics for a slightly older crowd -- the revved-up album opener "Old Dan Tucker" or the straight-up folk last track "Eastbound Freight Train." The younger kids aren't completely ignored -- somewhere Dr. John is crossing "Miss Mary Mack" off his songs-to-record list because Bregar's soulful version will work just as well -- but this time they're the exception and not the rule. I also like his gently bouncing version of "Don't Fence Me In," with an occasional kids' chorus that suggests the lyrics don't just apply to adult cowboys.

Bregar puts a few more original songs on the new album, and for the most part, they're very good. Songs like "Best Friend" and "Airplane" speak to aspirations of five-year-olds. If there's a drawback to the songs, which sound great, is that they're all very Adult Album Alternative-sounding. As opposed to the goofiness of, say, "Pancakes" or "Blah de la" off Stomp Yer Feet!, the songs here are all very polished and may or may not capture kids' fancies.

The album's musicianship is always first-rate, and Bregar has a great voice, one of those things you don't appreciate unless you've heard a lot of kids' music and realize that there aren't that many kids' musicians with great voices. He sounds ever so slightly like Bruce Springsteen and a lot like Justin Currie, the lead singer for the '90s pop band Del Amitri -- in fact, there's even a hint of Del Amitri's sound in the album. (Should I start the rumor that Bregar is actually Currie's alter ego?)

The album's most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 8. You can hear clips from both of Bregar's albums here.

Hootenanny is another strong album from Johnny Bregar, with many songs kids and their adults can enjoy. If it doesn't quite reach the heights of Stomp Yer Feet!, that's only because that album set the bar so high, and if you were scared by the "next Raffi" tag, it's OK to come back -- Bregar's now setting his own path worth following. Definitely recommended.

Posted by SAShepherd at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well, I guess all the Stephin Merritt/Daniel Handler appearances have been unplugged, but none 'til now have been aired on NPR.

Merritt: "I don't think of it as writing for kids. I just think of it as not being allowed to use swear words."

Read my review of The Tragic Treasury here.

Posted by SAShepherd at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey! I decided that after 4 1/2 years I should update this thing.

To describe this as "Frequently Asked Questions" would be less than the truth -- few of these questions have been asked, let alone frequently.

They are, however, all questions, and 1 out of 3 is pretty good (if, you're, uh, a hitter in baseball).

Who are you?
I'm Stefan Shepherd, married father of two kids, ages (as of May 2011) 9 and 5. I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I currently have about $4 in overdue library fines. (Yes, I updated my outstanding balance for my library fines.)

Who died and made you the Greil Marcus of kids and family music? What qualifications do you have?
Kinda confrontational, aren't you? Well, I have a few fancy letters after my name, but none of them have anything to do with music or kids and families, let alone music for kids and families. But I'm 1) a parent, 2) a big music fan, and 3) able to put together a complete sentence, sometimes even stringing a few sentences together into a paragraph.

Oh, and I'm willing to listen to all this music, separate the wheat from the chaff, and write about it. You're free to start your own website (or comment here) should you disagree with me. Aaaaand, I've been doing this for close to 7 years now. So stop hassling me.

So how much kids' music do you listen to in, say, a year?
I'd guess that over the past year I've listened to at least 300 different CDs. I have no way of proving this, but I'd be surprised if there were a dozen people in America that have listened to as many different kids and family CDs as I have in the past year.

My [however-many-years]-year-old child listens to all the same music I do, and they love it. Shouldn't you be playing your favorite music for your kids instead of listening to this pap?
I think you should be playing music that you really enjoy with your kids. Having said that, what's wrong with also playing music that might be targeted specifically at your child's age, either musically or lyrically? To make a literature analogy -- even if you read John Updike to your kids (which I think you'll agree is probably not the wisest of parental choices), don't you think they might appreciate a nice Mo Willems or "Junie B. Jones" book sometimes, too? And besides, there's lots of fabulous music that's being made in this genre right now -- it'd be a shame if you missed it just because you chose to ignore it.

You aging indie hipsters are all alike -- trying to impose your musical tastes on your kids. Why???
You're, uh, like the exact opposite of the questioner above. (You've also never met me, because those who have would never characterize me as an "aging hipster," O Vague Questioner I've Totally Made Up For the Purpose Of This Post.) I've been a parent long enough to know that imposing cultural taste on kids is a fool's errand. All you can do is expose your kids to music you love and music of all different genres reflecting all sorts of experiences. And if, in the end, they decide to listen to [insert the name of the band you spent many a college night at the bars mocking then singing along to, karaoke-style], that's OK, too.

Who else thinks you know what you're talking about?
NPR's All Things Considered, for whom I review kids music occasionally
SXSW
EMP Pop Conference
Wall Street Journal (twice)
Kindiefest (multiple appearances)
Sirius-XM's Kids Place Live
Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times (twice), Raising Arizona Kids
Other assorted papers and website (see here for a semi-complete listing)
My mom

Also, I'm the founder of the Fids and Kamily Awards, which I'm pretty proud of.

I like the cut of your jib, sir, and would be interested in having you write something for my fabulous website/newspaper/inflight magazine. Are you interested in such an opportunity?
Possibly.

I've written for Wired , Real Simple, Education.com, and done freelance work for the iTunes store. I wrote for the Phoenix New Times. Brief reviews and blurbs of mine appear at the excellent DC-area venue Jammin' Java. I wrote liner notes for Sarah Lee Guthrie's Smithsonian Folkways album Go Waggaloo.

So, yeah, I've written stuff for others in the past and would be interested in doing so again. Maybe. E-mail me (zooglobble AT earthlink DOT net) and we can talk...

How about booking shows? Do you do that? Because I really need you to book a show for me.
Possibly.

I've booked shows on my own (e.g., this one), as well as a secular series for my church. I currently book a series at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Other venues may come online at some point.

So, yeah, I'm always interested in helping to spread great live music to new places. If you're looking for someone to put together a kids music series or festival stage (or you're an artist looking to play a show), e-mail me (zooglobble AT earthlink DOT net) and we can talk.

I have the world's most awesome CD for kids and families, and I'm desperate to have you hear it and review it. How can I go about doing so?
Find out more about submitting albums for review here.

Do you know where I can buy the Hoodwinked soundtrack for something short of a developing nation's GDP?
I used to (mymusic.com), but sadly even that supply has dried up. I only wish I knew why the soundtrack went out of print. You are now forced to try eBay or other sites, for which you'll probably have to pay $50 or more... (This actually was one of the few questions on here that I was asked, frequently. The soundtrack is now freely available -- and the movie 5+ years old -- so I never get that question anymore. I keep it here to remind me of those heady days.)

The name "Zooglobble." What's up with that?
Google "Nobody Understands Me" and "Sandra Boynton." That'll get you most of the way there.

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I've realized that my "Approach to Kids' Music" post, originally written (pre-blog) about five years ago when our daughter was just a wee one, doesn't completely reflect my thoughts about kids' music now, particularly as our daughter is now in kindergarten. So for your amusement I'm providing additional thoughts on my original beliefs...

I should note that I'm under no illusion that what I'm saying is revolutionary. Most of it is common sense. Nor am I under any illusion that I have any control over my kids' taste in music -- I don't want to have that control, I just want our kids to be able to enjoy a wide range of music if that's what gives them pleasure and comfort.

But in case you think I'm reviewing music for myself, and not for my kids, I hope this will give you some indication of what I'm thinking of as I review music for slightly older kids...

1) Good kids' music is enjoyable for adults, too: This will never change. Now, having said that, I'm totally aware that there is some kids' music that is made just for kids, and that's OK. But to paraphrase W.H. Auden, who was writing about children's poetry, there are no good songs which are only for children.

2) Not all good adults' music is enjoyable (or even suitable) for kids: As your kids get older, the number of songs that are inappropriate for them to listen to dwindles. They can listen to longer, more complex songs. And they can handle more difficult topics. It's not that they don't hear about life's difficulties from a very young age ("Rockabye Baby" is about a plummeting crib, after all), but for the most part those songs are simple stories or declarations of unconditional love. As kids get older they strengthen their ability to handle scary stuff or stories about life's trials. I know I have to fight my tendency to protect my kids from every problem -- I need to do the same with the songs they hear...

3) Did I say simple was good?: When I said "simple," I was talking about redoing classic children's songs and suggesting that you didn't need cheesy Casio synthesizers. Having said that, as kids get older, they'll want to soak in all different types of experiences -- have them hear zydeco, jazz, classical, electronic arrangements, banjos, autoharps, whatever.

4) Who are you anyway?: No change here -- if you can't tell at a glance who's playing on the CD, put the CD and walk away quickly.

5) No "Stairway to Heaven": I noted that 2 minutes was a good song length for infants and toddlers. Clearly, as kids get older, they can pay attention for much greater stretches of time. So crank up "Freebird" and let them enjoy!

Posted by SAShepherd at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think it's time I revealed my own ballot for the Fids and Kamily awards.

I should begin by noting that one of the main goals I had in coming up with the idea of F&K was to democratize the album reviewing process for this niche. I tend to find individual Top 10 lists of music, movies, etc, somewhat pointless in helping me find new music because taste is idiosyncratic, of course, and what one person finds stirring I might find overwrought. It might be entertaining reading, but usually not too enlightening.

But collect a whole bunch of opinions, and all of a sudden, I think it becomes something useful -- hey, not only did Stefan like that Family Hootenanny CD, other people did, too. Maybe I should check it out. (And, yes, you should.)

So I offer this list by no means intending it to be the last word, but only to be able to express my appreciation for some albums that provided me and my family with enjoyment over the past year.

And there's no way I can limit this list to just 10 albums. I probably heard more than 100 kids and family albums released in the past year, so 20 seems like a reasonable number. I'm still gonna feel bad about excluding #21, whichever that one is (and there are, like, 4 of 'em), but I gotta put a limit somewhere...

Oh, and I'm not great at deciding between things, which will become apparent as you read on. Good thing I'm not this way with cereal otherwise it would take me forever at the grocery store.

Oh, and I'm not a big fan of putting greatest hits CDs on these lists; hence, no Welcome to Ralph's World.

Oh, just get on with it anyway.

1) Meltdown! - Justin Roberts
1) You Are My Little Bird - Elizabeth Mitchell
1) Catch That Train! - Dan Zanes
All 3 albums perfect in their own way. Meltdown! is one of those great pop albums with, like, 8 singles, You Are My Little Bird further refines Mitchell's kid-folk sensibilities with wondrous covers, and Catch That Train! is Zanes' best work, which is saying something.

4) The Family Hootenanny - Various Artists: There is no reason that this album, made up of so many diverse musical styles, should work anywhere near as well as it does. Best compilation of the year.

5) The Great Adventures of Mr. David - Mr. David
5) Fascinating Creatures - Frances England
5) When I Get Little - Dog on Fleas
The Mr. David and Frances England albums were unlike anything else I'd heard this year, and stood out as much for their unique style (Mr. David's soundscapes and England's lo-fi rock stories) as for their enjoyment. Dog on Fleas, on the other hand, took a whole bunch of styles and mixed them together to create something new.

8) Hoodwinked Original Soundtrack - Todd Edwards (Various Artists): Why Ryko let this amazing soundtrack go out of print still mystifies me. Our daughter loves to sing along on "Great Big World," so that didn't hurt its chances.

9) Hey You Kids! - The Jellydots
9) Stomp Yer Feet! - Johnny Bregar
Two albums doing entirely different things -- The Jellydots crafting power-pop gems with kid-friendly topics, Johnny Bregar reinterpreting preschool classics (mostly) with a bit of funk and style -- but both providing lots of enjoyment to listeners of all ages.

11) Every Day Is A Birthday - Brady Rymer
11) Animal Crackers - Wee Hairy Beasties
11) Electric Storyland - The Sippy Cups
Y'know, the difference between these albums and the two at #9 is pretty darn small. All three albums appeared in the top ten at some point, and their presence just outside the top 10 could be as much a result of changes in barometric pressure as anything else. But Rymer's roots-rockin' slices of family life, the Beasties' energetic and fun Americana songs, and the Sippy Cups' set of originals inspired by '60s and '70s rock were outstanding in their own right.

14) We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
14) Singalongs and Lullabies from Curious George - Jack Johnson and Friends
Neither one of these albums can be found in the children's music charts at Billboard. No matter -- Springsteen's vibrant hootenanny (I always said it was Bruce Springsteen's children's album) and Johnson's laid-back and alternately playful and wistful songs had virtually no distinctions between songs appropriate for adults or those 30 years younger.

16) Rock Your Socks Off - Charity and the JAMband
16) LMNO Music: Pink - Enzo Garcia
These two albums by San Francisco musicians couldn't sound much different. But more than any other album on this list, the JAMband's funky grooves and Garcia's homemade music-making encourage listener participation, either by dancing or singing. Though they're entertaining if you just listen to them, they're that much better if you join in.

18) Different - Elizabeth Street
18) Macaroni Boy Eats At Chez Shooby Doo - Ginger Hendrix
From opposite ends of the country, a band and a solo artist sing songs about the day-to-day life of kids and families. One's a little bit country (Ginger Hendrix), one's a little bit rock'n'roll (Elizabeth Street). Elizabeth Street is like the eldest sibling, giving sage advice; Hendrix is the family clown, who tells it like it is.

20) Here Comes the Band - Stephen Cohen: Somebody had to be #20, and it might as well be this one, the most conceptual album on the list -- they wait for the band, the band arrives, the band leaves. My wife couldn't stand it, but I think it's pretty darn good -- not only is it the most conceptual, it has the most consistent atmosphere.

Wow, you're still reading? Thanks... Like I said, there are many others I wish could squeeze on here, but rather than go on for fear of leaving someone out, I'll just stop. (Plus, I think the pit orchestra is starting to play music to rush me off the stage.)

Posted by SAShepherd at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)