Turkey Andersen 2 - Turkey Andersen

Album: Turkey Andersen 2

Age Range:

Description: The follow up "full-length" (at 18 minutes, it's barely 2 minutes longer than the debut EP) from the mysterious Turkey Andersen (could he be related to Northampton, Massachusetts musician Henning Ohlenbusch?) is every bit as whimsical as its predecessor. I gravitate toward the sillier tracks, like the irrepressible "I'm Not Scared," whose narrator isn't scared of anything (e.g., ghosts)... especially in unrelated situations (e.g., in the supermarket juggling fruit). But the dreamier tracks, like "Rhonda Bubbles" (which sounds like an ode to a toddler with a typically toddler-y mind of her own) and "What An Animal'll Do", have their own allure.

You can stream (and purchase) the 18-minute album here. The mix of silly and sweet and pop-rock happiness is a very appealing concoction, perfect for the ride to and back from school. Definitely recommended.

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

Storytime Singalong Vol. 1 - Emily Arrow

Artist: Emily Arrow

Album: Storytime Singalong Vol. 1

Age Range: 4 through 8

Description: While she isn't the first artist to make an kids' album based on children's literature -- and not even the hundredth to make a kids' album about reading -- the Los Angeles-based Arrow might be the first to blend the two relatively seamlessly. Most of the first half of the album are based on individual books, such as The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. The songs generally work even if you've never read the book. In fact, the songs based on the books above are, respectively, inspirational and gorgeous in a way that might remind the parental listeners of someone like Vanessa Carlton.

The second half of the album, while not entirely book-less, deals less with stories and more with the structures of stories. "One Day, The End Song," based on a book, talks about filling in the gap, story-wise, between "One day" and "The End." "Poem In Your Pocket Song" is a groovy song with lots of fill-in-the-blank singalong rhymes -- it's not the first time I've heard such a song structure, but it's probably the most ear-wormy one. Even "Peanut to My Butter," in its simple citing of common colloquial phrases, requires a certain bit of reading comprehension.

The 29-minute album floats by quickly and pleasantly even without a book in a kid's hands. (If you want listen to some of the songs and hear more book-based songs, check out Arrow's music page.) Just as simply playing Mozart for your baby won't make your child smarter, merely playing Storytime Singalong Vol. 1 won't make your child a reader. But as part of a broader culture that celebrates literacy -- in school, in the library, or at home -- the album will fit in quite nicely. Recommended.

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

Are You Listening? - The Not-Its

Artist: The Not-Its!

Album: Are You LIstening?

Age Range: 5-9

Review: The Seattle quintet has proven to be a consistently entertaining band over their past five albums. Their sixth album is another solid effort, a half-hour's worth of pop-rock Pop Rocks, fizzy and playful. The band is still willing to take a silly, cartoonish route on songs like "Granddad Is a Spy" and "Done With the Science Fair," and parents are more likely than the kids to appreciate the metal thrash of "Don't Fear the Dentist." But they know their way around (slightly) more mature subject matters -- "Washington, DC" deftly slides from travelogue to encouragement of political engagement, "Bird on a Wire" features an ode to a bird and some killer harmonies, and leadoff track "Dance With Me" includes the best guitar solo you'll ever hear on a basic movement song. (Stream the album here to listen to these and more.)

With Sarah Shannon's voice as powerful and the band as tight as ever, the band's kinetic energy and occasionally-acerbic-but-never-cynical lyrics continue to keep them in the forefront of modern kindie pop. It's ear candy for your favorite first-grader. Definitely recommended.

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

Just For Fun - Beleza

Artist: Beleza

Album: Just For Fun

Age Range:

Review: The colorful cover of Beleza's first album for families, Just for Fun, doesn't particularly stand out among kids music releases -- kindie covers are rarely monochromatic. But the music inside is far more distinctive, a mix of Brazilian music and jazz with a light touch and playful core. Without diminishing Humberto Oliveira Sales' guitar work and playing on other instruments, it's Madeleine Holly-Sales' vocals that most give this album a festive but sophisticated air. With a nifty blend of English-language covers (a swingin' "I Wanna Be Like You" from The Jungle Book, "Little Liza Jane" with nifty guitar work, and a bilingual "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad") and songs in Portuguese (including "O Pato," about a duck and made famous Stateside by João Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Astrud Gilberto), the 33-minute album is like a jet down to Rio for a kid-friendly Carnaval weekend. (Should one of those things exist.) Definitely recommended.

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

Toddlerbilly Riot! - Matt Heaton

Artist: Matt Heaton

Album: Toddlerbilly Riot

Age Range: 3-7

Review: There are lots of pop-rock albums in the kids music world, but the rockabilly sound on prominent display on Massachusetts-based Matt Heaton's new album is rarer, and perhaps the chief reason to recommend it. Heaton does draw on other sounds -- "Down By the Bay" gets a Drifters-like "Down By the Boardwalk" update, and Heaton's Americana/folk music instrumental chops are put to good use elsewhere -- but the surf rock sounds on "Go Stop Go" and (most memorably, at least lyrically) "Don't Drink the Water (Your Butt's Been In)" are its most distinctive. You can stream the 34-minute album here. The songs don't attempt to change the course of kids music, but there's just enough of a different sonic approach to make it worth exploring. Recommended.

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

Andy's Wild Amphibian Show! - Andy Offutt Irwin

Andy Offutt Irwin - Andy's Wild Amphibian Show album cover

Artist: Andy Offutt Irwin

Album: Andy's Wild Amphibian Show!

Age Range: 5 through 10

Review: With a blurb from king of the kindie storytellers Bill Harley (and a figurative push from longtime occasional touring partner Cathy Fink), this was a pretty safe bet when I put the CD in and hit "play." Sure enough, the first kids CD from the Georgia-based storyteller hits the same pleasant storyteller notes as Harley -- the feeling that childhood is every bit as adventurous as adulthood, empowerment in small bites, and, of course, the occasional silly voice. Most of the album is taken up by two stories told in front of a live audience, "I Have a Loose Tooth" and the title track. It also features a live recording of the sweet sing-along lullaby (not an oxymoron) "The Light Went Away" and a studio rendition of "I Love To Whistle," which features Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. (Did I mention that Irwin's a whistler? He's a really good whistler.)

Unlike Bill Harley's tales, in which many of them I've often felt a bit of wistfulness, these stories stick to a more triumphant tone. Which is also fine. Just a bit different. Irwin is just as engaging with the kids, regardless of whether it's through the occasional encouragement to repeat a loooong vocabulary word or just through his silly voices or compelling narrative. Worth a spin if you're looking to expand your family's storytelling collection. Recommended.

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

Yay! - Seanster and the Monsters

Seanster and the Monsters - Yay! album cover

Artist: Seanster and the Monsters

Album: Yay!

Age Range: 4 through 8

Description: I'm a little late to this 2014 release from the Winnipeg-area band, but it's a nifty little collection of songs that run the gamut from amusing to absurd. I realize that gamuts are usually a little wider than that, but Sean Hogan and his band know his strengths and play to them.

Musically, the band covers more ground, from the silly march of the leadoff track "Yay Dolphins!" (which eventually sings about kittens in the cockpit) to '60s-era spy music ("Double-O Wombat") to the polka of album closer "More Monkeys." (Genial guitar-based folk-rock with a hint of banjo is generally their home base.) I thought the movement-based songs "Pat Your Head" and especially "They Can't" ("Snap / Like the turtles can't snap")were more clever and engaging than most movement-based songs I've heard, approaching They Might Be Giants' "Clap Your Hands" in terms of that cleverness. While there's definitely a TMBG/Barenaked Ladies vibe to their songs, some of their more narrative songs will remind listeners of the odd narratives of Duke Otherwise, Zak Morgan, and Steve Weeks (whom Hogan bears more than passing resemblance to, vocally).

Technically speaking, the 37-minute album is a debut album, but Hogan has been performing kids music for more than a decade. Now that they've got this first album as a band under their belt, I'm eager to see them stretch their wings, somewhat musically, definitely lyrically. But this is solid stuff for the joking kid in your life. Recommended.

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

BVGB - Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies

Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies BVGB cover

Artist: Brian Vogan and his Good Buddies

Album: BVGB

Age Range: 2 through 6

Description: With relatively little fanfare nationally, Seattle-based Vogan has released six albums (including this latest one) targeted at the older preschool/kindergarten set over the past seven years. All of them have had some good songs to recommend them, and BVGB is no exception. "Big Bad Dump Truck" is a shuffling rocker with, appropriately enough, a hint of dirt to it. "Dinosaur in My Drawer" features some nifty guitar work and some "la la las." "Marla Has Two Moms" will help fill out your family diversity playlist, while "Presidents' Day" celebrates even the least celebrated chief executives. Even the songs I didn't hear saying much new say them with obvious thought as to how to convey the lyrics (like the rough sound of "I'm a Nasty Cavity").

At barely 25 minutes in length, the album almost feels like an extended EP than a full album. But for those families looking for an artist that might complement artists like Laurie Berkner to serve their favorite four-year-old, this is a good introduction to an artist who might fit that bill. Recommended.

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