Sampler - Chris Molla

Artist: Chris Molla 

Album: N/A (song sampler) 

Description: Chris Molla might be best known as being a co-founder of Camper Van Beethoven, but he's also been making music for kids and leading classes for a good part of the past 15 years.  He released Roll Along  in 1999, Jump Up  in 2004, and a collection of music from his classes in 2011.  He's now working on some new music (woot!) but in the meantime you can listen to selected tracks from all 3 albums.  The sounds range from bluegrass to Americana to roots rock -- worth your time checking out.

Source: Soundcloud 

Good Morning My Love (Sampler) - Vered

Artist: Vered​

Album: Good Morning My Love (Sampler)​

Description:​ Four songs from the New York singer's first album for families -- really, for new parents and their babies.  Simple but not simplistic melodies and lyrics; Vered's biggest hope would be that you'd sing along with your baby nearby.

Source: Bandcamp​

When The World Was New (Sampler) - Dean Jones

Artist:​ Dean Jones

Album:​ When The World Was New (Sampler)

Description:​ Five tracks from the forthcoming solo album from Dog on Fleas mastermind Dean Jones. As with a lot of Jones' work, solo and with the Fleas, the new album is a little wasabi in a world of ketchup.  I like ketchup a bunch, too, don't get me wrong, but it's good to have some other condiments.  Make sure you check out the educational/philosophical slow-jam of "Prehensile Grip."

Source:​ Soundcloud

Paul Spring - Home of Song Sampler

Paul Spring is a musician who's set to release his first album for families, Home of Song, on March 19.  "Big deal," you might say.  There have got to be dozens if not hundreds of kids music debuts released yearly, right?

Sure.  But few if any of them have the Okee Dokee Brothers and Dean Jones pitching in.  Just take a listen to this 5-song sampler (especially "Peter Pan," whose awesomeness was already apparent a couple years ago).  I think a lot of folks will be eager to hear the full-length album.

Holiday Music Sampler

Artist: Various

Album: N/A

Description: Christmas is still more than a couple weeks away (as is Kwanzaa), but it's already the second night of Hanukkah, so I think it's officially safe to start with the winter-holiday-related posts.  I'll have a handful of posts throughout the season, but I'll start off simply, with a ten-pack of holiday tunes (Christmas, Hanukkah, and TV-Special) from a variety of artists, including Randy Kaplan, Brady Rymer, the Jimmies, and more, available to download for a limited time.

Source: Soundcloud

Rabbit Days and Dumplings Sampler - Elena Moon Park and Friends

Artist: Elena Moon Park and Friends

Album: Rabbit Days and Dumplings

Description: It's a five-song sampler, not the whole enchilada ("whole kimchi"? "whole spring roll"?), but if you're not sure that an album of Dan Zanes-influenced family-friendly songs from Asia is quite your thing (though I think for a number of you, the answer is "yes"), take a listen.  I especially like track #7 ("Poong Nyun Ga," a Korean harvest song, which is a rousing sing-along), but there's a lot of stylistic diversity on the tracks and it's worth your time.

Source: Rabbit Days website

"Bling Blang" and "This Land Is Your Land" - Elizabeth Mitchell

Artist: Elizabeth Mitchell

Song: "Bling Blang" and "This Land Is Your Land"

Album: Little Seed

Description: Elizabeth Mitchell singing Woody Guthrie songs.  Remind me how this could be at all bad?  (Answer: it's not.)  Listen here.

Source: Original Zooglobble post

Assorted Tracks from The Okee Dokee Brothers

Artist: The Okee Dokee Brothers

Album: N/A

Description: Seven tracks selected from the Minnesota band's four albums, including three of the best tracks from their forthcoming Can You Canoe? CD/DVD, and one from the relatively unknown Spanish-language ¡Excelente Fabuloso!.

Source: Soundcloud