Review: The Sunny Side of the Street

I work with someone who has a goal of learning something new, however small, every day. In that spirit, what I learned from "Getting To Know You," the opening track on John Lithgow's third album for kids, The Sunny Side of the Street (2006), is that his last name is pronounced as rhyming with "Miss Go" rather than "Hoosegow," which is how I'd always heard it in my head. So that, however small, was what I learned upon first listen. What I knew already going in, and what the album shows repeatedly, is that Lithgow is a fabulous performer. His theatrical background is perfect for these songs, written for vaudeville or musicals in the '20s and '30s. On the best tracks, such as "Baby!" or "Ya Gotta Have Pep," Lithgow lets loose with theatrical abandon (I love the "whampa..." Lithgow unleashes in the middle of what has heretofore been a very mellow duet with Maude Maggart on "Baby!"). Lithgow has a sweet duet with Sherie Rene Scott on the closing track "Lullabye In Ragtime." The tunes are a nice selection of familiar and less-well-known, and the frisky orchestration is stellar, making the songs sound, while not modern, not 80 years old, either. Downsides? Well, the duet with Madeleine Peyroux on "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (which I had hopes for) never really gels. It's interrupted by a bunch of kids, which is akin to asking Monet to paint some pretty cathedrals and then having some 7-year-olds from Rouen come in to make some improvements to the canvas. The kids chorus is fine, and in some cases gives Lithgow somebody (or many somebodies) to play off of, but my favorite tracks are those where the kids don't appear. And while some of the less-well-known songs are a joy to discover ("I Always Say Hello To A Flower"), others are much less interesting ("I'm A Manatee.") I'm gonna peg this album as being of greatest interest for kids 3 to 7, though obviously most of these songs were originally written for adults and people of all ages. You can hear samples of the 37-minute album at the usual online suspects and see Lithgow's antics in the video for "Ya Gotta Have Pep". The album will not change the mind of anyone who doesn't care how bright the lights are on Broadway -- if you are a rockist, you will not like this. Lithgow has recorded some fabulous renditions of these tunes, however, and while it's probably not going to be your favorite album, it's definitely worth trying at least once. Think of it as learning something new, musically at least.

Listen To This: Ben Fairfield

"Listen To This" is my brand-new category for music that doesn't really fit a review format but deserves a mention. I'm going to inaugurate it with music from Ben Fairfield, an artist out of Hawaii who, he says on his website, was inspired by the NPR story that drew many of you here. (I am sure that it was Justin Roberts and Brady Rymer who inspired him, not me or Melissa Block.) Fairfield's music is acoustic guitar-accompanied folk-pop covering such kid-friendly topics as dogs, penguins, and homework. Lyrically, he's got an environmental/ecological bent, so if your kids interested in that, these tunes are perfect. He's not above silliness (his conversion of Shel Silverstein's "The Homework Machine" into song) or sweetness ("Goodnight"), though. (The friendliness of the first track, "Hello," may, however, puzzle some kids who've had Stranger Danger drilled into their heads.) The combination is somewhat a combination of Johnny Bregar and Jack Johnson. (Those are just the two artists whose musical and lyrical concerns struck me as familiar here.) As a collection of songs, it doesn't work quite as well because of the relative same-ness of approaches, but the individual tracks are pretty strong. Try listening to "Hello," "It's Men That Try To Run the Universe," and "Goodnight" for a representative sample. And drop him a line and tell him to get the CD pressed and to start working on the next batch of songs pronto.

Review: My Best Day - Trout Fishing In America

You don't see too many kids' music acts with a live album. Trout Fishing In America has, with the release of My Best Day (2006) today, two. That fact speaks to Trout's longevity (30 years as a duo and 7 family recordings in addition to other recordings for adults) and their popularity as a live act. My Best Day is a Greatest Hits collection to an extent. Long-time favorites such as the calypso-styled "My Hair Had a Party Last Night" mingle with new favorites such as "Alien In My Nose" (an absolutely disgusting track -- your 7-year-olds will love it). While those songs (and others) show off Ezra Idlet's and Keith Grimwood's sillier side, slightly straighter songs such as the sweet "Fill It Up" and "Alberta Postcard" fit more squarely in a folk-pop tradition that would sound great at any folk festival, kids-associated or not. The two new songs, "I've Got A Friend (and He Won't Be Quiet)" and "My Pants Fell Down," are pretty good additions to the Trout canon -- I particularly liked "My Pants Fell Down" (the title says it all, and, yes, your 7-year-olds will love it). Both the new songs (and "Alien" and the title track) were written in songwriting workshops with kids. Having said all that, the banter and interaction that would be lots of fun if you were actually at the concert gets to be a bit repetitive if you're listening to the CD. "Simon Says" gets tiresome; the jokes, amusing on first or second hearing, are no longer funny the fifth or sixth time around. Perhaps the upcoming DVD of the concert (recorded in Febrary 2006) will make you feel more like you're at the concert (and, therefore, not so weary of the between-song stuff). Kids ages 5 through 10 will most appreciate the album. You can listen to Trout's music by going here and clicking on "Launch Trout Radio" or going to the usual online suspects to hear clips from the new CD. If you're a Trout fan, you'll enjoy this CD (unless of course they left off your favorite track). If you're not a Trout fan, you won't enjoy this CD -- there's nothing to convert you. If you're not sure about Trout, this is a decent place to start as it does pick tracks from throughout their family music career. My Best Day is, for better and occasionally worse, a good representation of a Trout Fishing in America concert.

Gustafer Yellowgold, Real Estate Agent

One takes publicity in the New York Times wherever one can. Morgan Taylor, the man behind Gustafer Yellowgold, and his wife Rachel Loshak, appeared in the "Habitats" section of the Times on Sunday. It's a nice little profile of the couple. (Thanks to Bill for the link.) It also contains an interesting tibit of info -- "They are also negotiating a contract with the V2 label’s new children’s imprint, Little Monster." Good on them.

Songs For Singing and Playing Together

I had a birthday in the not-too-distant past but did not have a soiree with, you know, beer and chips and the like. That will occur this weekend, when friends will come over and celebrate. I had been thinking initially about having a karaoke party, but thought that might require a bit too much courage of many celebrants. It also required renting a karaoke machine, which requires both money and time. Instead, I decided to have a party of singing and playing music together. While I don't think the Dan Zanes interview itself directly inspired the idea -- I'd been pondering it even before that -- his general emphasis through the years on making music in communities did. The only problem is, I'm at a bit of a loss for good songs to play in groups. So I'm asking you, dear readers, for suggestions of good songs for singing and playing together. We have a piano (and friends are bringing keyboards) and I have a basic ability to plunk out chords while sightseeing. Beyond that, I'm not quite sure of the music-making skills of all my friends -- except for our friends with the Phoenix Bach Choir, who, yes, can sing. Beyond that, no restrictions other than kids are going to be invited as well, so while drinking songs and murder ballads aren't necessarily off-limits, it'd be nice to have something of greater interest for the kiddos, too. What songs have you enjoyed singing together? What songs are easy for people to pick up? And any suggestions in general? Respond in the comments...

Review in Brief: Snowdance - Erin Lee & Marci

It is possible to be impressed by an album, but not have it move you. Such was the case for me with Snowdance (2006), the second album from New York-based duo Erin Lee & Marci. The duo, with a background in children's musical theatre, have crafted an album of 12 songs, one for each month of the year. As a whole, the album fits together well -- the opening track "This Year" makes a lot of references to the songs to follow and the songs for each month make sense. The snow-day-wishing of track 2 "Snowdance" has a pleasant wintry, jangly beat. The forced "September March" acutely highlights the feelings of dread and uncertainty heading into the new school year. There are some interesting stories here. But although the folk-pop melodies and their playing aren't bad, there isn't a single cut that begs repeated hearings. Part of that may have been the voices of Erin Lee & Marci, which for me, were... how should I say this?... not my cup of tea. They were a little too Broadway for me, not enough pop or folk. Or perhaps they weren't enough Broadway for me -- this was an album of stories, some of them good -- maybe they should have dropped any attempt to sing in a standard pop manner, and brought in additional singers to fill out the "cast," so to speak. With its focus on the tribulations and joys of growing up for elementary students, the 48-minute album will be of most interest to kids ages 6 through 10. You can hear samples at the album's CDBaby page. It's possible to admire what Erin Lee & Marci were shooting for with Snowdance and appreciate the structure of the album and the songs within. But it doesn't mean your family will want to listen to it repeatedly.