Songs from a Journey with a Parrot - Various Artists (The Secret Mountain)

Artist: Various Artists (The Secret Mountain)

Album: Songs from a Journey with a Parrot: Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from Brazil and Portugal

Age Range: 0 through 6

Description: The latest book/CD combo from Canadian publisher The Secret Mountain heads to a couple Portuguese-speaking countries for a selection of lullabies and nursery rhymes.  The selection (originally published in France in 2003) is well-produced and diverse in its musical stylings (the songs were collected by Magdalene Lerasle).  Unlike the Putumayo disks, which are typically compilations of previously-recorded material from a wide range of artists, each Secret Mountain production tends to keep itself to a narrower range of artists.  Here arranger Paul Mindy leads a handful of vocalists.  The adults may want to turn to the detailed liner notes (lyrics, translated lyrics, song backgrounds, credits) in the back while the kids will probably stick with the front half and Aurelia Fronty's vibrant illustrations and brief lyrical snippets.

The 45-minute album is a lot more uptempo than the subtitle "Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes" might suggest, so if you're looking for a lullaby album, look elsewhere.  But for a playful collection of Latin melodies (and non-Spanish-language ones at that), this is an excellent introduction.  Recommended.

Wooden Spoon! - Marc Imboden

Artist: Marc Imboden

Album: Wooden Spoon!

Age Range: 3 through 8

Description: The first half of this 2011 album features the Indiana-based Imboden leading his band through folk/roots-rock-y renditions of classic kids' songs -- "This Old Man," "Wheels on the Bus," and the like.  They're well-done, but it's not exactly a new approach to the songs.  I was more interested in the second half of the album, which features some originals, like "I Like To Sing This Song" (6 minutes long, but flies by in what seems like half the time) and the title track.  Half of the proceeds of the album (listen to the whole thing here) will be distributed to Reece's Rainbow, which helps orphans with special needs find families. A solid album, even those familiar songs I'm apparently less enthused by, but if Imboden wants to record a whole album of originals, I'd be very eager to hear them.  Recommended.

I Will Go Into the Day - Caroline Herring

Artist: Caroline Herring

Album: I Will Go Into the Day

Age Range: 4 through 8

Description: The story of how Herring went from Kickstarting two albums based on children's literature to releasing this album of new material and a couple folk song covers is a long and, for Herring, very frustrating one.  (Short version: children's book authors and publishers can be very possessive of their creations.)

But that doesn't mean the end result is frustrating to listen to.  Songs like "Make It Yourself," with a kids' chorus, and "Today," are exuberant, while some tracks like "Music of the Mountains" are more thoughtful.  (You can listen to the album over at Bandcamp.)  A solid 32-minute album of folk music for families, with a theme of exploring the world near and far gently but firmly threading its way through the entire 11-song set.  Fans of her previous album for families, The Little House Songs, will find her strong voice and warm arrangements in fine form.  Recommended.

Baby DJ - Luscious Jackson

Artist: Luscious Jackson

Album: Baby DJ

Age Range: 2 through 6

Description: In reviewing the album for NPR, I can't discuss this (or any) album in quite as much detail as I might normally.  So here are a couple of additional points to note:

1) The middle of the album is really solid stuff -- "Yeah Yeah No No," "Free," "Hula Hoop," and "Coconut Icee" are fun tracks that would sound just as good on an LJ album for adults as they do here.  The album is pretty much worth picking just for those 4 tracks.

2) Your mileage may vary when it comes to the first 2 tracks, "Freeze Dance" and "Baby DJ," and the last track, "It's All Goo."  They are definitely more jokey, silly, and goofy in nature.  I would not have sequenced the album in that way.  Definitely for the younger kids -- you may tire of them.

But overall it's a fun album, recommended, especially those middle 4 tracks.

The Dirty Socks Come Clean - The Dirty Sock Funtime Band

Artist: The Dirty Sock Funtime Band

Album: The Dirty Socks Come Clean

Age Range: 4 through 8

Description: New York's DSFB comes back with their third and most insane album yet.  "Insane" is really a positive term here -- the album is nothing if not an audio soundtrack for the TV show the DSFB should really have (and have even produced some episodes for).  Songs like "Robots from the 4th Dimension" and "Monster's Lullaby" have a silly theatricality that works well in audio-only form, but would be even better with visuals to go along with them.  The power-pop is leavened with a great deal of humor, a lot courtesy of "Mr. Clown," whose duet with a very game Laurie Berkner on "We're In Love" is one of the album's highlights.  This is an album where songs like "National Hiccup Day" are the rule and earnest songs like "Mama's Song" are the exception.  You can stream the album here.  The melodies here are nice, but if your family are fans of "Weird Al" Yankovic or other "funny song" artists, this'll be a great kindie transition.  (And if those things make you cringe, well, then, this ain't for you.)  Recommended.

Note: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review.

If I Were An Otter - Alice DiMicele

Artist: Alice DiMicele 

Album: If I Were An Otter: Songs for Kids of All Ages

Age Range: 

Description:  An album for you old-school folk music fans.  DiMicele, who hails from Medford, Oregon (at the state's southern border), has a slightly raspy voice that serves her well when she gets into bluesy/country territory such as on "Honey Bee Blues" and her duet with Vince Herman, "City Mouse/Country Mouse.  DiMicele dips into the folk songbook for well-known tunes as "This Little Light of Mine," "The Garden Song" ("Inch by inch, row by row..."), and "The Monkey and the Engineer."  Her originals are just as positive -- "We Can Be Anything" and "Celebrate the Rain" are as optimistic as their titles.  Amidst all these good vibes, I liked the title track, silly and playful.  The album (funded on Kickstarter, incidentally) will appeal most to kids ages 3 through 7; you can stream the album here.  Families looking for an amped-up 21st century sound, this isn't for you, but if you're looking for an a solid album of Americana-tinged folk music suitable for families of all ages, If I Were An Otter  will probably hit your sweet spot.  Recommended.

Note: I received a copy of this album for possible review. 

Love, Cake & Monsters - Princess Katie & Racer Steve

Artist:  Princess Katie & Racer Steve

Album:  Love, Cake & Monsters

Age Range:  4 to 7

Description:  On their fourth album, the New York duo don't vary much the formula from their first three albums -- shiny pop (/ska/alt-rock) with the occasional boost of self-esteem mixed in with some self-deprecating humor -- but it's a formula that works well for them.  They've got themselves a brand new song about being at a rock show ("Come On Out"), plus songs about hugging ("Hug It Out") and cooling off periods ("Take It On Over (Time Out)").  They also include their fancy (with a string orchestra and everything) not-too-spooky Halloween song, er, "Halloween" and the Beatlesque "Comet Pinky's Love Cake"  The album features 3 skit tracks, and while I am not a big skit fan, in this case the skits are somewhat amusing, don't overwhelm the music (with the last skit at the very end for easy skipping if necessary), and fit in with their overall approach to the music.

You can stream the album here.  I don't think the latest album will make any converts if your family has previously not gone for PKRS, but old fans should eat this up, and those families new to kids music looking for some attitude, empowerment, and occasional silliness will find this appealing.  Recommended.

The Return of Phineas McBoof - Doctor Noize

Artist:  Doctor Noize

Album:  The Return of Phineas McBoof

Age Range: 5 through 9

Description:  As one might surmise from the title, this is the second album from Doctor Noize (AKA Colorado-based Cory Cullinan) featuring the titular music savant who throws it all away at the height of his fame... wait, that's actually kind of the plot of the whole album.  The late 2011 album tells the story of how Doctor Noize joined the International Band of Misunderstood Geniuses through a variety of musical genres (hip-hop, soul, opera).  It's a fun story and there's a lot of thought and care put into the production.  (Also, I kinda want to make "For The Children" required listening for anyone thinking of making music for kids.)  You can stream the 63-minute album here; there's also an accompanying book that tells the story in rhyming form.  Those of you who are familiar with Doctor Noize's work on Grammaropolis or the first Phineas McBoof album know that the albums throw in everything including  the kitchen sink to entertain with the ulterior motive being to educate.  The new album is no different -- an amusing story well-told and -sung.  Recommended.