The King and I and Belle and Sebastian and...

Another day, another song posted to the Colours Are Brighter website. Or, in the case of this particular day, two. The Kooks turn in a 311-esque "The King and I" which, well, doesn't really sound like it was all that kid-focused while Jonathan Richman does "Our Dog Is Getter Older Now," which, well, I can take or I can leave. The Four Tet track is still the coolest one I've heard. Yes, I will eventually stop talking about this, I promise. But I've gone this far down the path.

The Hold Steady Album Stream

Continuing the Minneapolis love... The Hold Steady released their latest album Boys and Girls in America yesterday and if stories of teenagers and college kids set to every riff heard in an arena between 1976 and 1982 (and then some) is your bag, go here and check out the album stream. Even though they're in New York now, the Hold Steady is every bit a Minneapolis band as the Replacements were. It's not so much for the kids, but the adults might like it. (And for those of you who, like me, were put off by Craig Finn's shouted-not-sung stylings on Separation Sunday, he's dialed that back a notch or two. He's almost singing now.)

Prince Does Kids Music

No, really, "Song of the Heart," for a kids' movie -- Happy Feet. It's a pleasant, funky mid-tempo number that will erase absolutely no memories of, say, Prince tearing up First Avenue in Purple Rain, but it's nice enough. Sadly, it's the only Prince cut on the soundtrack. For what it's worth, here's the track listing for the soundtrack, to be released Oct. 17th. 1. Song of the Heart - Prince 2. Tell Me Something Good - Pink 3. The Joker / Everything I Own - Jason Mraz/Chrissie Hynde 4. I Wish - Fantasia/Patti LaBelle/Yolanda Adams 5. Boogie Wonderland - Brittany Murphy 6. Somebody To Love - Brittany Murphy 7. My Way - Robin Williams 8. Do It Again - The Wondermints 9. Jump And Move - The Brand New Heavies 10. Kiss - Nicole Kidman 11. Golden Slumbers - K.D. Lang 12. John Powell Score Suite Two songs by Brittany Murphy?... Well, at least those Wondermints and K.D. Lang tracks could be good. (Thanks to Stereogum for the tip.)

Review in Brief: Now The Day Is Over - The Innocence Mission

NowTheDayIsOver.jpgTake away the cover art of a child sleeping next to their stuffed animal, and there's nothing about The Innocence Mission's 2004 album Now The Day Is Over that would compel its placement in a kids' music section. Having said that, the collection of standards and other songs done in lullaby style was performed with kids in mind. The cover art fits. In a low-key jazz-influenced style, sparsely arranged and usually just with little more than guitar and bass to accompany her, singer-songwriter Karen Peris gives a hushed interpretation to the songs, lending to the dream-like quality of the recording. This semi-conscious quality is a good fit for many of the songs, such as "Stay Awake" or Henry Mancini's classic "Moon River" and extends to Don Peris' instrumental guitar work on Chopin's "Prelude in A" and Beethoven's "Sonata No. 8." The one original, Karen Peris' "My Love Goes With You," is a sweet lullaby, much closer to traditional lullabies than most of the songs on the 30-minute disk. One word of warning, though -- Peris' voice, though beautiful, has a distinct and somewhat nasal quality to it. I think most people will warm to it, but some might not. (Indeed, the songs I enjoyed less were the ones I'd heard hundreds of times before -- "Over the Rainbow" and "What A Wonderful World" -- and didn't think the Peris' distinct voice and rendition improved upon the original. The kids around you, of course, with no such baggage, won't care.) As a lullaby album, it's targeted for kids ages 0 through 5, though there's no reason why you won't put it on yourself when the kids are nowhere around and you need some peaceful music. You can clips at the album's CDBaby page. Now The Day Is Over is filled with a sense of goodness that families can find respite in in the course of -- or at the end of -- a busy day. Recommended.

Please Release Me: October 2006 Edition

Well, it's not like Oct. 3rd isn't already busy enough as it is, CD-release-wise -- new stuff from Beck, the Decemberists, the Hold Steady, even the Killers (though their new album is getting absolutely miserable reviews). But, hey, even in the kids' music segment we got a new (sort of) Ralph's World. Not to mention a bunch of other stuff to look forward to. So here we go: Oct. 1: AudraRox - I Can Do It By Myself Oct. 3: Ralph's World - Welcome To Ralph's World Oct. 8: The Sippy Cups - Electric Storyland Oct. 10: Gothic Archies (Stephin Merritt) - The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events Oct. 16: V/A - Colours Are Brighter Oct. 17: V/A - New Orleans Playground (Putumayo) Oct. 24: Wee Hairy Beasties (Jon Langford, Sally Timms, Kelly Hogan, Devil in a Woodpile) - Animal Crackers Oct. 24: V/A - Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook Vol. 1

Review in Brief: Sing Along With Sam - Hullabaloo

SingAlongWithSam.jpgHullabaloo 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.