Review: Dream Big! - Roger Day

Let's get the negative out of the way right from the get-go: "Turn Off the TV" might just be the worst kids' song you'll hear this year. Not only is it very "you should do this," it's also done in a faux-rap style. The combination may just make your kids want to turn off the CD player and turn on the TV for several hours watching Spike TV or something. OK. I've gotten that out of my system. It's not really the worst kids' song you'll hear this year -- certainly not the worst one I've heard this year. But it sticks out like a big ol' sore thumb on what is otherwise a pretty strong collection of kids' pop from Tennessee-based Roger Day on his third and just-released CD, Dream Big!. Day can craft decent kid-friendly pop tunes, and there are a number worth enjoying here. "I Like Yaks!" is a goofy little ditty which uses the percussive stylings of master percussionist Billy Jonas. Day also does a good job with character studies or studies. One of the best tracks is "Happy Hippos Hopping," a lilting mid-tempo story song about hippos playing (while the parents watch out for crocodiles). "Zachary Hated Bumblebees" is a simple tune of sorts relating the tale of poor Zachary which uses a string quartet to good effect. On one song after another, Day puts together well-sung lyrics and catchy melodies. For those of you looking for grit in your CDs, Day is not your man -- the lyrics are uplifting through and through (save for the snotty -- literally -- bonus track). The title track is almost too vague in its exhortation to "dream big!," but there are certainly way more vapid things to shout along in a catchy chorus. Day generally avoids the saccharine pits that musicians making overtly positive music sometimes fall into. Even though Day is very good at what he does, as with artists and bands like Joe McDermott and Milkshake, what he does won't resonate with every family, while others find him an essential component of their library. The music here will be most appropriate for kids ages 4 through 9. You can hear samples at the album's CD Baby page as well as at Day's music page. So, "Turn Off the TV" aside, Dream Big! is a nice collection of kid-friendly pop tunes with positive messages. Unless that description makes you run away with your fingers in your ears, then you'll want to give the CD a spin. Recommended.

Review: Under A Shady Tree - Laurie Berkner

Years from now, when there are sections in amusement parks called LaurieWorld, in which you can ride the "Buzz Buzz" bumblebee ride (you must not be any taller than 48" to ride) and eat a "We Are The Dino-Chicken Nuggets Family-Pack," younger families might wonder when exactly it was that Laurie Berkner became a kids' music superstar. The answer, of course, is her appearances on Jack's Big Music Show, the Noggin televison show centered around some music-loving puppets, which first aired in September 2005. The more logical (or obsessed) of the families might then try to figure out what CD might have led the producers to think that Berkner would be such a good fit for the show. Those families' searches would lead them to Berkner's 2002 album Under A Shady Tree. One of the ways in which kids' music is different from most other genres is that its primary audience -- the kids -- don't really care about artistic progression or the order of album releases. Your kids probably can't tell you what order Berkner's CDs were released. But you can tell that Berkner's stretching out musically a bit here. She adds horns to the mix on "This Hat." "Mahalo" has Hawaiian influences, natch, while "Boody Boody Ya Ya Ya" has a pensive, non-major-chord sound. In short, the songs and arrangements here might be the most intriguing Berkner has written. They are not, however, instantaneously catchy, or at least compared to the high bar Berkner had previously set. There is no lightning-bolt of a classic like "We Are the Dinosaurs" or "Victor Vito" here. "Rhubarb Pie (Hot Commodity)" has some sweet harmony, but it's no "Doodlebugs." "I'm Gonna Catch You," "Who's That?," and "Running Down the Hill" are fine enough, but the title track is one of those too-simple songs that parents will tire of quickly. The album's 52-minute runtime doesn't help matters -- there are too many songs here that are interesting but not necessarily must-hears. The album is most appropriate for kids ages 2 through 7 and you can find it pretty much anywhere CDs are sold. If I sound negative here, it's because I think Berkner set such a high standard for the genre with her earlier CDs, particularly her first two CDs. There are still a number of good songs here, and if your family liked Laurie Berkner's earlier work, you'll probably enjoy this. Under A Shady Tree is not where I'd start out exploring Berkner's music, however. It's recommended, but not essential. (But your kids will probably love the "Running Down the Hill" play area of LaurieWorld.)

Review: The Cougar of Haycock Woods - The Harley String Band

I'm already tired of PTA fundraisers, and our daughter has just cleared kindergarten. I'd be less tired, perhaps, if our PTA helped put together something like The Cougar of Haycock Woods, the 2007 debut CD from the DC-area trio The Harley String Band. Cougar Woods is a nature-based learning curriculum for Haycock Elementary in McLean, Virginia. The album was conceived as a fundraiser for the PTA, but it also took its inspiration from the curriculum itself, as the songs all have a strong nature and ecological focus. A number of the songs, like the leadoff track "Running in the Poison Ivy," take a mostly jocular approach ("Point your finger and wag your tongue / Bossin' me around till the bell is rung / Well don’t go getting all high and mighty /Look, you’s standing in poison ivy"). Others take a more serious approach, as in the title track, which sings about a centuries of human-cougar interaction -- from the cougar's perspective. Not all the songs are quite so ecologically direct. "Cloud Shape Animals" packs its message punch not from emphasizing the fragility of animals on the planet but instead from emphasizing the difficulty of imagination as one ages. And the best track on the CD, "Drifting Away," a gorgeous tune with gentle string accompaniment, has no obvious natural connection except for the title metaphor. Over the 50-minute runtime, there are a few songs that aren't as compelling as the rest (I could do without the silliness of "Ode to Milkweed," for example), but for a narrowly-focused thematic album, it maintains its general interest remarkably well. Musically, this is straight-up folk and Americana, with a little bit of pop thrown in. The instrumentals are well-done, with what must be a good dozen folk instruments (cittern, banjo, pennywhistle, and jaw harp among them) employed. Vocally, I prefered the sweeter voice of Jim Johnson and Jim Clark to the somewhat nasally voice of Steve Coffee (who wrote and sings the majority of the tracks here), but as I always say, that's a personal thing. Kids from Haycock Elementary make a few appearances, too. The whole sound has a ragged feeling, though in a good way. Kids ages 4 through 9 will most appreciate the album. You can hear a few tracks and read lyrics to the album here or at the band's CD Baby page. In the annals of kids' CDs born out of school fundraisers, Frances England's Fascinating Creatures might be the gold standard. But The Cougar of Haycock Woods is a solid collection of nature-based songs, a highly recommended choice for a nature-based curriculum in schools or Earth Day. But it's got enough charm that it's worth a spin at other times and in other places. And maybe it'll even inspire a few more PTAs to give up their chocolate bar sales for something more fulfilling. Recommended.

Review: Hey, Everybody! - Hullabaloo

One of the advantages of having listened to and reviewed kids and family music for a decent period of time is that you get to see bands and artists grow over time. Take, for instance, the San Diego-based band Hullabaloo. Here's what I said about their first album for kids, Sing Along With Sam: "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.'" I said other, nicer stuff, too, but I was definitely thought there was room for improvement. Enter their latest album, the recently-released Hey, Everybody!, which in addition to Denyes and Kremer features some guest musicians providing some backup in the way of bass, electric guitar, banjo, and dobro. All of a sudden, the two-person band sounds like, well, a band. (And a good one. I mean, they were good before, but it was just the two of 'em. It sounds, at points, miles better.) The songs haven't changed so much. You still have songs in a country-tinged folk vein, but a song like the leadoff title track, a country rocker, sounds more... complete. The band couldn't have pulled it off before just as a duo. (The original instrumental "Lucy MacLean" also shows off the band's skills.) Another fun song is "Blah, Blah, Blah," which so completely nails the experience of being a kid and not caring about what the adults are rambling on about that the adults are likely to have flashbacks and possibly feel a little guilty. Denyes, who wrote 8 of the 12 tracks here (the other four are traditional tunes), has a full, distinctive voice that I personally think works better on some songs than others. The two sea-related songs, the amusing original "Polite Pete" and the traditional "John Kanaka," are great fits; other songs, such as "La Bamba," are less so. But, as always, my vocal preferences may not match yours... The songs here are probably most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7 again. You can hear samples of the 29-minute album at the band's Music page or at the album's CDBaby page. Also, I just want to say that the packaging is a textbook example of how to make inexpensive album packaging look very good. It's a fairly simple cardboard case with lyrics printed inside and the few credits on the back. It's possible to do something more expensive that's nicer, of course, but the band clearly took a little time and effort into making the packaging look good, and it shows. This album isn't perfect, but it's got enough good songs to make it worth further exploration. It's the sound of a band slowly finding their musical niche and using their strengths. I fully expect the next album to be even better, but for now Hey, Everybody! will do fine. Recommended.

Review: Everybody Plays Air Guitar - Joe McDermott

With all apologies due to Spinal Tap, there's a fine line between sweet and schmaltzy in children's music. Topics that in one musician's hands produce a moment of "A-ha! That's how life is!" in another's hands produce a moment of "Duh. Of course that's how life is." Frankly, the same track can produce those two moments in two different families. On his very recently released fourth CD for kids, Everybody Plays Air Guitar, Austin-based Joe McDermott very carefully walks that fine line. How you feel about the CD depends on how sweet you and your family like your music. Let me start out with the album's strengths, which I found to be the simpler tracks in concept (if not necessarily execution). The leadoff title track (bolstered by its simple but catchy chorus) basically just talks about how great it is to "air guitar" (yes, that's a verb). On the closing track, "Anything Is Possible," McDermott channels a little mid-career James Taylor in a sweet ode to possibility. And the album's strongest cut, the poppy "Dolphins," is a trifle of an idea with far-ranging lyrical flights of fancy (Hemingway, AFLAC insurance). "Ride, Ride, Ride," a live cut, while out of place mixed in with its more polished companions, shows off McDermott's sense of humor. There are other tracks, however, that a number of listeners will probably tune out, "Sport Comes to the Rescue" and "Our Family Car Is A Helicopter" are a little goofy, but there's something about the humor that doesn't pack much of a punch. (They're not as sharp as McDermott's earlier, classic track, "Baby Kangaroo," which worked so well on so many different levels.) It's not that the songs are bad or arranged poorly -- in fact, McDermott's attention to detail is well-appreciated (check out the string quartet on "Momma's Gonna Have a Baby"). But some listeners -- and you know who you are -- will just find those tracks a hard slog. The songs on the 36-minute album are most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear samples from the CD at its CD Baby page or previous cuts (including "Baby Kangaroo") here for his last album, with links to other albums, too.) In the end, if I sound a little conflicted in this review, it's because I am to some extent. There are some great songs here, and there are some that, while, expertly done, just don't have much "pop." So while I'm recommending the CD, it's really a combination of the people who will find this album absolutely wonderful and of the people who will find it, well, just a bit too safe. But, overall, recommended.

Review: Dark Side of the Moon Bounce - Rocknoceros

After listening to hundreds of kids and family CDs over the past years, I've developed some resistance to the charms of a cutesy album title. A classic album title twisted into a kiddie pun does not a good album make. So I was well prepared to remain unmoved by Dark Side of the Moon Bounce, the recently-released second album by the Virginia-based band Rocknoceros. That resistance lasted about, oh, three, four songs, tops. The album is a giddy collection of preschooler-accessible topics set to catchy melodies with a handful of space-related songs thrown in. Although there are no noticeable Pink Floyd references here, the three-member band has a healthy appreciation for music from the '60s and '70s, with calypso ("No Bananas on the Boat"), zippy '20s songs ("Brush Your Teeth"), and Beck ("Gravity") thrown in for good measure. One of the best tracks, "Apollo," tells the story of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the moon, accompanied by a very uptempo British Invasion-sounding tune. "Pluto" succinctly describes that ex-planet's fall from planetary grace ("But poor Pluto lacks the girth") along with a sad but sweet melody. In their marriage of smart lyrics, sly humor, and primarily but not exclusively rock-pop melodies, Rocknoceros reminded me most of another trio all the way across the country, Recess Monkey. While Recess Monkey tends to a slightly older audience, Rocknoceros is more preschooler-focused and, as a result, more apt to "teach" via song. ("Wee Go Potty" is a great song about recognizing the need to go to the bathroom. But it's a song 8-year-olds probably don't need to hear.) Another good comparison, at least when it comes to the rock side of their songs, is Ernie & Neal. Given the topics, the 42-minute album is probably most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7, though the most direct space-related songs here would be fine for slightly older kids, too. You can listen to a few songs at Rocknoceros' music page or samples from the whole album at its CD Baby page. Dark Side of the Moon Bounce is a fine collection of kids' music, with several outstanding tracks. This is kids' music expertly done, with good humor and respect for interests of preschoolers and young grade schoolers. It more than earns its album title pun. Definitely recommended.