Review: Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo - Ginger Hendrix

Ginger Hendrix is a very funny ~~fellow~~ woman, right! Like Bill Cosby, there are a number of male kids' music artists with a broad sense of humor -- Trout Fishing in America, Robbie Schaefer, Daddy-A-Go-Go, the list goes on. The number of female kids' music artists whose broad sense of humor is apparent in their songs is much smaller. In fact, Laurie Berkner might be the only name that comes to mind, and one name isn't really a list. But with her debut, Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo (2006), Ginger Hendrix is here to make it a list. Not that you'll really be thinking about the sociological effects of the CD. You (and your kids) will be smiling. Songs about stinky things (the bluesy "Stinky Trash"), the alphabet ("L is for Llama"), or ponies (the mellow "Riding My Pony") will keep your 4-year-olds interested. Songs about made-up words such as "schnoikee-day footka" ("Funny Word Dictionary") will amuse slightly older kids. And the title track is a mostly spoken-word track that will amuse the parents greatly. Hendrix, who lives on California's central coast, is not goofy all the time. One of the best tracks on the disk is a sprightly tune called "How the Days Go By," on which Hendrix is an acute observer of how many days pass by for preschool-aged families ("Sometimes we go shopping in the afternoon / take a nice big loop around Target / chew some gum, drink a lemonade / maybe go home with all new socks.") The songs themselves are almost entirely Hendrix accompanying herself on guitar, playing folk-pop melodies. (The mellower tunes have a bit of a Jack Johnson vibe to them.) Over an entire album, the relative sameness of the musical structures would get old fast were it not for the great lyrical wordplay and the sheer enthusiasm of Hendrix. (The enthusiasm is best heard on the final four tracks, recorded live at Hendrix's preschool. I've never attended "Teacher Mary School," but I love the song Hendrix created for it.) The album will be most enjoyed by kids ages 3 through 7 and those whose sense of humor have not been surgically removed or otherwise altered. You can hear sound clips at this page, and I'd recommend just tooling around Hendrix's website, which is even more appealingly goofy than the album itself. Macaroni Boy Eats at Chez Shooby Doo is a fun album, good for relaxing around the house in between trips to Target or picking up the older sibling at the bus stop. Ginger Hendrix strikes just the right balance of insight and immaturity (in the best sense) here. Recommended.

You Are My Little Songbook

Want to rock out on "Little Liza Jane," just like Elizabeth Mitchell did with Daniel and Storey on You Are My LIttle Bird? (Handclaps optional.) Well now you can -- sort of -- as Mitchell has put together chords and lyrics for 9 of the tracks off that stellar CD and matched them with lovely drawings from Ida Pearle (who did the artwork for the album). Get the songbook here. Songbooks for the other Mitchell CDs (and perhaps more songs off this CD) are in the works.

Robbert Bobbert's Head-Bboppin' Tunes

I don't know whether Robert Schneider's kids' music album to be released by Little Monster Records in early 2007 under his Robbert Bobbert alter ego will be any good. But if the tunes on his Myspace page are any indication of what'll be on the album, it'll be one of the oddest albums to come down the pike in some time. "I Love the Animals" is a catchy New Wave/Beach Boys, Casio-accompanied tune which would be somewhat odd in its own right were it not accompanied by "Fee Fi Fo," which I can only describe as "The Chipmunks meets 50 Cent." It's a rap song from a mouse. All I can say is, go listen for yourself.

Review: Welcome To Ralph's World - Ralph's World

I don't think I'm the only person who, when they saw the cover to the latest Ralph's World album, Welcome To Ralph's World when I say that my first thought upon seeing the album cover was, "Where's Giselle Potter?" She drew all six album covers for Ralph's World, and her replacement by illustrator Jim Paillot for this, Ralph Covert's first album with Disney, is akin to the Wiggles deciding that they wanted to wear black, brown, white, and green shirts or the Yankees abandoning the pinstripes deciding to trot out solid blue uniforms. It's unlikely, however, that people would like (or dislike) the Wiggles or Yankees based on their choice of clothing -- it's their actions or songs that give them such cultural cachet. In the world of kids' music (the Wiggles aside), Ralph Covert is about as big as they get. There's not another kids' artist who in the past decade has recorded more great songs. Some artists might have a better album or two but don't have the breadth (They Might Be Giants' 2 kids' CDs, for example) while other artists aren't quite aiming for the "kids' music" target (Dan Zanes). But the world of independently-created kids' music has been, up to now, somewhat isolated from the broad American culture, and Disney, by adding Ralph's World to its lineup, is attempting to branch out. So I realize now that Welcome To Ralph's World is less a "greatest hits" album for his current fans as much as it an introduction to literally millions of families who don't already know his playful brand of kids'-themed (mostly) pop and rock. It does follow the greatest hits template, of course -- collect a number of good songs off each of his albums while adding one new track for the diehards -- but especially since Covert has not had videos on Noggin, the notion of "greatest hits" is somewhat odd. Does the 37-minute album collect his best stuff? For the most part, yes, including the garage rock of "Fee Fi Fo Fum" and "All I Want To Do Is Play" or the gleeful pop-rock of "Dance Around." It's too bad, though, that more songs from Covert's two most recent -- and best -- albums, Green Gorilla, Monster & Me and The Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro, didn't make the cut. "We Are Ants" or "I Don't Wanna" should be on the track listing. Beyond the track selections, the new song "With A Friend (The Pooh Song)" should dispel fears that Disney will completely change Covert's style. It's a retro-sounding pop/show tune that, while not an instant classic, is certainly a worthy addition to the Ralph's World canon. The videos on the accompanying 15-minute DVD, however, will probably only please those who have seen them repeatedly on the Disney Channel. They're not bad, and the kids joking around in the audience (including Covert's daughter Fiona) are having a good time, but aside from the backgrounds -- in the style of, yes, the album illustrator Jim Paillot -- they don't have much to recommend them, visually. Ralph's World music, particularly on this CD, which omits some of the tracks appealing to slightly older kids, will appeal mostly to kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear clips from a whole host of Ralph's World tracks at his music page. In the end, there are really three audiences for this review. The diehard Ralph-heads pre-ordered this album weeks ago -- this review is too late for them and wouldn't have affected their decision in any case. Casual fans who some of his albums in their collection can safely skip this collection without feeling like they're missing much. And for those of you out there discovering Ralph's World for the first time, this collection is recommended as a very good (and bargain-priced) introduction to one of kids' music finest songcrafters.

Welcome Morning Call Readers

If you're here because of the nice article in the Sunday Morning Call, welcome. Thanks for stopping by -- we love guests. There's a whole bunch of stuff accessible from the links on the right (plus a search box there on the upper right-hand side), but here are some direct links to articles here on: Ralph's World Laurie Berkner Dan Zanes (includes full-length interview) Milkshake Brady Rymer They Might Be Giants Trout Fishing in America To read more about Frances England, go here -- to go directly to a review of her fine Fascinating Creatures CD, go here. Want to find out more about the "Fids and Kamily" poll? Go directly to its website. And, finally, here are links to the other kids' music sites mentioned in article -- Kids Music That Rocks, (Sm)all Ages, and The Lovely Mrs. Davis Tells You What To Think. More kids' music-related sites are there on the right -- I'd point out Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, a Massachusetts-based radio program with weekly podcasts on which you can hear a lot kids and kids-friendly tunes. And if you're a long-time reader here, the YAKMA (Yet Another Kids' Music Article) is worth your time for the breadth of quotations and news -- the next They Might Be Giants kids' CD, Here Come The 1-2-3s, for example, is now slotted for a Fall 2007 release.

Review: I Can Do It By Myself! - AudraRox

Based in New York City and led by mother of two Audra Tsanos, AudraRox strikes a punk pose -- a leather-jacketed, hair-streaked elementary school student poses on the cover of their debut album I Can Do It By Myself!, released earlier this month. But make no mistake, their music is more pop than punk. Which is by no means a put-down when the pop is as finely tuned as it is here. One of the stand-out tracks is a 2-minute slice of power-pop goodness called "Tired," which sounds a bit like the Replacements (if the Replacements had three women doing vocals). On the New Wave-styled titled track, Tsanos channels the Missing Persons' Dale Bozzio. The band also runs through other styles -- country ("I Hope My Mama Says YES!"), funky blues ("Where's My Shoes Blues"), disco, etc -- and sounds great doing 'em all. And not only does the band sound great, they all have assorted songwriting credits on the album. Lyrically, the album tackles typical 6-year-old concerns -- the effects of rough-housing ("All My Toys Are Broken") or begging for a little extra parental indulgence ("I Hope My Mama Says YES!"). The songs are mostly written in the first person, so the young listeners will grasp on easily, but there are enough sly bits to hook the parents. I was particularly amused by how the band turned the plaintive phrase "everybody's havin' more fun than we are" into a whole song that ever so gently chides the child that uses it. And the only thing better than a 7-minute song about procrastination ("I'm gonna button my coat so I don't catch a cold / I'll do it in a minute, but first, I'll sing the chorus" -- how very meta) is a good 7-minute song about procrastination. Given the lyrical focus, it's targeted right at kids ages 4 through 8. You can hear samples at the CDBaby page for the album. In its willingness to explore a whole bunch of pop and rock styles, I Can Do It By Myself reminds me -- in a good way -- of Ralph's World albums. It's energetic and lots of fun, speaking to kids without ignoring the parents in the back of the room. Recommended.