Review: Songs For Family, Friends & Frogs - Mr. "S"

I've received a lot more kids' music this year than I have time to review here on the site. There are many reasons why I don't review something -- it's absolutely awful, it's too far past its expiration date, it's not really kids' music -- all reasons that I'm willing to throw out the window at any time, I should note. But what about those albums that I'm, well, only lukewarm about? Case in point: this album. New York-based Mr. "S" (aka Ed Stankewick) recorded for several indie rock labels before becoming a schoolteacher and, eventually, releasing Songs For Family, Friends & Frogs, his 2006 kids' music debut. I really wanted to like the CD, but being a hopeful person I really want to like just about every CD I listen to. And there are components of the album that I did like, especially the solid musicianship of Stankewick and his Burnt Bottom Cookie Band. When they grab ahold of a good song, like the "everybody's a hero" pop-rocker "Superhero," the resulting energy is fun to listen to, as it is also in the gently insistent "Frankie the French Fry." The bluesy cuts ("Itchy Little Toe," for example) tend to be the strongest songs. But for the most part the songs just weren't that memorable to me. Some went on too long ("Take Your Medicine"), some were just a little too cheesy ("My Dog Sings the ABC Song"), and some... It's not that the songs were bad -- believe me, I've heard plenty of bad kids' songs, and these weren't it -- but they just left little impression on me, no compelling desire to go back and hear it again (even though I did so several times for the purpose of this review). The songs have a slightly goofy lyrical sense that would be most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9. You can hear several cuts at the Mr. "S" website. Which I recommend doing, because maybe I just ate something bad, or I haven't been getting enough sleep, or something. And that's why I will sometimes review albums that just don't speak to me, especially if there's something worthwhile in there that could serve as the core for someone else's serious enjoyment. Whatever the case, while I could appreciate the musicianship on Songs For Family, Friends & Frogs and look forward to hearing what else Mr. "S" comes up with in the future, this album didn't speak to me.

Review: My Fabulous Plum - Peter Himmelman

There are albums (in all genres) that you can drop in and out of, where your attention can wander without ruining the overall effect. And then there are albums whose enjoyment depend upon a sustained mood, whose parts are greater than the whole. Peter Himmelman's 2004 album My Fabulous Plum is the latter. Heard in bits and pieces in the car -- the minivan is the parental 9:30 Club, dontcha know -- the album doesn't come off that great. Elaborately produced rock songs with a hint of Broadway stylings, with vastly different song palettes from track to track, it's hard to pin down. Not that the songs are bad -- "Sherm the Worm" is a fun, driving rock track with horns, but it's squeezed between the mid-tempo Shel Silverstein-esque fable "A World Where You Only Eat Candy" and the Caribbean-tinged self-empowerment ode "Ain't Nothing To It." But Himmelman, who's been creating music for adults for more than 20 years, is an excellent songrwriter, and it's only once you've listened to the album in full that you appreciate the world Himmelman's created. Your kids will enjoy the silliness in songs like "Herman the Big Oily Moose" and "Cindy and the Octopus," and they might even hear the message in "Ain't Nothing To It," and "I Don't Like To Share." You might even come to enjoy the pure weirdness that is "Waffles," a spoken-word track. In no case does Himmelman ever talk down to his audience. I think kids ages 4 through 9 will most appreciate the 36-minute album, which is the second of Himmelman's three kids' albums. You can check out samples at Himmelman's website for the album. My Fabulous Plum has some strong songs, but it will probably take a few spins before you'll get the cumulative effect of the album -- a book of musical short stories and poems for kids. Recommended.

Review: Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts - Sam Hinton

Originally released in 1961, Sam Hinton's Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts is a classic beloved by many families. In August, Smithsonian Folkways re-released the album (for the first time on CD) so that a new generation of families could hear these stories in songs. If the only thing Sam Hinton did in his life was direct the Scripps Oceanographic Institution in southern California for about 20 years, that by itself would be a full life. The fact that he's also an accomplished musician (reportedly knowing 5,000 songs) and artist (doing the drawings for the reknowned Rise Up Singing collection) makes me feel, well, that perhaps I could perhaps do a little bit more on the side. Or in my full-time job. Anyway, the 20 tracks showcase Hinton's clear voice -- he nimbly navigates fast songs like "Michael Finnegan" while giving character to somewhat more midtempo tunes like the gently bouncing "Mr. Rabbit" or sweet songs like "The Eagle's Lullaby." And his talent for vocal mimickry is adeptly shown on tracks such as "The Barnyard Song," on which he, yes, imitates many barnyard animals. (Given Hinton's "daytime" job, it's not surprising that many of songs deal with animals and the natural world.) Hinton accompanies himself on guitar; it's unobtrusive, but it's the lyrics and melody that are the stars here. I think kids ages 2 through 7, along with their associated adults, will appreciate these stories in songs the most. You can hear samples of the tracks at the album's Folkways page. I also should note Folkways' typically excellent album package, which in this case features Hinton's excellent notes on the songs along with an introductory essay from Bess Lomax Hawes. Whoeve Shall Have Some Good Peanuts is reminiscent of a Pete Seeger album, sharing a fine voice and a strong folksinging tradition. There is a looseness, however, to the interpretations that also reminds me of Woody Guthrie's kids' albums. If you have any affinity for the albums of those two artists, you will certainly enjoy this album. Recommended.

Review in Brief: Sing Along With Sam - Hullabaloo

Hullabaloo is a two-man band based in the San Diego area, but their sound on their 2006 album Sing Along With Sam made me think they live a bit too far south. I can't shake the idea that these guys have a great album reminiscent of the Bakersfield country sound made famous by Buck Owens and, later, Dwight Yoakam. I wouldn't extend the comparison too far, of course, but their willingness to mix a lot of country in with their folk and rock sounds makes Hullabaloo a bit different from many of the kids and family musicians out there. The album includes a lot of songs about animals, some silly ("Diamonds and Dogs") and some not much so ("Run Bunny Run," the best kids' rocker never written in the late 1950s). The 27-minute album is laced with the band's good humor, with the opening track "Mama Llama" and closing track, the oft-covered "Mama Don't Allow," doing a good job of highlighting that good humor. 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." The album's songs are targeted mostly at kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear samples of some of the songs at the band's music page. With its good-natured attitude and West Coast feel, Sing Along With Sam will especially appeal to families looking for something different from run-of-the-mill kids' pop or folk. As for me, I think Hullabaloo should head north to Bakersfield and see if Buck Owens' backing band is interested in helping out on a track or two on their next CD.

Review: Open Season Soundtrack - Paul Westerberg

Paul Westerberg's place in the rock canon is safe, thanks to the his work in the 1980s with the Minneapolis band The Replacements.If you had placed a bet back then that he'd eventually score an animated movie replete with a bunny rabbit, chances are you'd received pretty good odds.But here we are in 2006, children's music is all the rage, and Paul Westerberg has scored an animated movie replete with a bunny rabbit -- Open Season, whose Original Soundtrack is being released today. Setting the improbability aside, is it any good?It's a hard question to answer, because you're inevitably judging the album against Westerberg's previous work, much of which was recorded long before you were even thinking about parenthood.In any case, it's a mixed bag.Westerberg, who crafted a great soundtrack cut for the movie Singles ("Dyslexic Heart"), has another great song here in "Meet Me in the Meadow," a gorgeous pop tune with a soaring string-accompanied chorus, the sense of hope very reminiscent of Replacements' themes.It's definitely one of my favorite kids' music tracks of the year. "Love You in the Fall," the lead single, sounds most like an actual Replacements song, and is a decent song to boot."Right To Arm Bears" is a bit of silliness obviously crafted for a particular bit in the movie and shows off Westerberg's wordplay, as does "Any Better Than This" includes the amusing turn of phrase "knight in shining armchair." Where I think the soundtrack fails, at least for kids, is the slower songs."I Belong" and "Whisper Me Luck" move too slowly to grab most kids' attention (at least without a visual accompaniment), and I'm not sure the kids are going to respond to the lyrical concerns.In the context of the movie, they may be perfect, but as a set of standalone tracks, they bring the soundtrack to a halt. There are four tracks not performed by Westerberg.Pete Yorn covers "I Belong" and he, too, doesn't make it particularly compelling.Sacramento's Deathray (including members from Cake) cover Westerberg's "Wild As I Wanna Be" and have a fun, poppy original, "I Wanna Lose Control."And the Talking Heads, whose place in the rock canon may be even more safe than Westerberg, contribute "Wild Wild Life," a song whose existence will continue long after the apocalypse happens and cockroaches roam the earth.Needless to say, I'd've rather heard another Westerberg track than that recycled cut. I'm gonna peg the soundtrack as most appropriate for ages 6 and up.I mean, there's nothing inappropriate about the album -- I just don't think 3-year-olds will care much.Listen to four tracks at the soundtrack's Myspace page. The Open Season soundtrack is a good Paul Westerberg album, with probably more good songs than a lot of his recent work.Whether you or your kids will listen to it in the long run probably depends more, however, on whether you (or your kids) care about what Westerberg and his bandmates recorded 20 years ago.

Review: When I Get Little - Dog on Fleas

How to describe New York-based Dog On Fleas?Hmmmm...The band itself has used the phrase "Brigitte Bardot will serve you from John Cage's hat" to help describe the Dog on Fleas "recipe."It's a not inaccurate description of the band's attitude, but doesn't really give you any indication of what they sound like.So that's where I'll give it a shot. On their 2006 release When I Get Little, their fourth album, Dog on Fleas play blues, country, jazz, folk, and zydeco -- among other styles -- with a loose feel reminiscent of Dan Zanes, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Woody Guthrie.The five-member band are a talented group of musicians, but the resulting sound on the album is not overproduced, giving it room to breathe and sway.They come at songs from odd angles and most of those angles work."Come On Down" has a loping New Orleans jazz feel and sounds very much like it could have been recorded strolling down a New Orleans street."Green Grass of Summer" is a sweet retro-sounding folk-pop tune that would've sounded great on AM radio 35 years ago.(Heck, it would sound great on AM radio today.)And "Big Black Snake" is an instant folk classic that's remiscent of Woody Guthrie songs given a Billy Bragg/Wilco "Mermaid Avenue" treatment, except instead of Bragg's raggedy voice we get the clear voice of Debbie Lan. Thirteen of the fifteen tracks on the 42-minute album are originals (most written by member Dean Jones) and none of them are traditional kids' songs.They're definitely in the traditional of family folk, and even songs about more kid-centric topics are given a twist -- the Cajun stylings and French lyrics for a song about French toast ("Mon Pain Perdu"), for example.The low-key feeling of peace and goodwill throughout the album is helped in no small part by the lyrical components on songs such as "Peace Will Come" and the ska-inflected "What's Behind the Wall."By no means are the messages of peace hammered home, but they're definitely there. As with the best family folk albums, the music is appropriate for all ages, but kids ages 3 through 9 will probably appreciate it the most -- they'll be the ones most willing to dance along, too.Listen to samples here. So how would I describe Dog on Fleas and When I Get Little?How about simply as "good and fun music for listeners of any age."Fans of Dan Zanes' music should especially check out this album, but unless you require your music pitch-corrected to within an inch of its life, you'll find it a vibrant and joyous experience.Highly recommended.