Review in Brief: Phredderiffic - Phredd

Phredderiffic is the third album for kids from the uni-monikered artist whose six-letter name starts with the letter "P." No, Prince does not have two other kids' albums. This 2005 album is from Fred McNaughton, also known as, yes, Phredd. While there is no cover of "Starfish and Coffee" on the disk, there are a number of fun tunes here -- the sweet Beach Boys-esque lament for warm weather "Sled Dogs" and the countryfied "My First Haircut" (with the lament "Where in the world did they put all my hair?") in particular stand out. A number of songs also would lend themselves well to kids' movement, particularly the one minute of nonsense in "Zoobah Zoobah Diggity Zoom" or the silly Australian-accented (literally) "Stuffy Hunt." Other tracks do wear out their welcome -- I do not need to hear the reggae'd "Meet the Trolls" or the industrial "William Watermelon" ever again. (I would note for those of you with small collections of coffee-related songs, "If Coffee Smells So Good, Why Does It Taste So Bad?" is an amusing sea shanty.) Without making too big of a deal of it, it's important that I point out track 5, "I Choose Love." This isn't the first album with religious references I've reviewed, and probably won't be the last, but since it's definitely an uncommon occurrence 'round here, I feel obligated to mention this. If you heard the disk without knowing anything about Phredd, you'd probably be a bit (or a lot) surprised to hear the phrase "God is love" woven into the chorus at the end of the song -- it's only a tenuous fit with the song itself, and nothing before (or after) really prepares you for it. If you're not prepared for it, it's a very "What the...?" moment that will have you scrambling for the CD packaging wondering if you missed something. Kids ages 3 through 8 will probably enjoy this 39-minute album the most. You can hear samples at the album's CDBaby page or at his media page. With his poppy tunes, silly lyrics, and skilled blend of programmed keyboards and real instruments (particularly the ukelele), Phredderiffic is a little bit Eric Herman, a little bit Steve Weeks, and an itty-bitty bit Veggie Tales. It's not a uniformly strong album, but fans of the above artists will likely find something to enjoy here.

Review: Did You Hear That? - Fox & Branch

All of you who still hold fond memories of the Jerry Garcia / David Grisman CD Not For Kids Only, pay attention. Did You Hear That? (2007) is that album's sequel. OK, technically speaking, the album was released recently by the Wisconsin folk duo Fox & Branch, not by Garcia & Grisman, but seeing as Jerry Garcia passed away many years ago, it was probably a bit much asking for a sequel from the originals. What I mean is that the spirit of that first CD (nearly 15 years old now) is continued here -- genial renditions of folk classics, smartly rendered. The organizing theme of the CD is that it features 15 different instruments (one for each of its 15 tracks), resulting in what the band describes not inaccurately as a musical version of Where's Waldo?. While you could easily listen to 14 of the 15 tracks and not be aware of that theme, that educational impulse is found throughout the disk (explaining how to do the arm motions for Woody Guthrie's "Bling Blang" or describing what the "Hambone" is on the track of the same name). The duo have a definite sense of humor, which is hit-and-miss, especially if the CD's stuck on "repeat." Sometimes their humor and their willingness to keep folksongs alive by adding new lyrics works quite well, such as on the rhyme-trading "There Was a Man." (That keeping-alive aspect is one of the duo's most appealing traits.) There are other times, however, when the interplay loses its sparkle after repeated listenings (an overly long "Green Grass, for example). It strikes me that that interplay would be lots of fun if you were hearing it for the first or second time live -- at times it just doesn't work so well on the repeated play of the disk. My favorite parts were probably the two least kid-specific tunes, an uptempo "Georgia Camp Meeting" and the slow waltz "Skye Boat Song." It's those tunes that show off the instrumental skills of the duo and their guests the best, though even simple songs such as "Bought Me A Cat" have nice arrangements. The duo's vocals are more Woody Guthrie than Pete Seeger, but vocal preferences are highly variable, so you may have a different take. The album's most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7 (they're the ones who might most appreciate the "find the instrument" aspect of the CD. You can listen to samples at the album's CD Baby page. If you like that, you may also want to hear samples from their first kids' album Mama Don't Allow, which is similar in tone. Did You Hear That? is a solid album in the folk tradition geared for kids. As noted above, fans of Not For Kids Only will very much enjoy this CD, and those looking for a gently educational component to their music (especially libraries and schools) will find this CD a good addition to their collection.

KidVid: "Juice Box Rock" - Ellen and Matt

There's nothing about this video by Los Angeles-based Ellen and Matt that is particularly amazing. It's a live concert video of pedestrian video quality and decent editing. The song, however, is a catchy pop-punk tune. And the real reason to watch is the kids in the audience, who pogo hard. Those of you with kids will not be terribly surprised by the energy. (Bonus amusing moment -- the kid with the spray-painted hair about 3:30 into the video. Looks like somebody removed his hair and put a big blob of cotton candy in its place.)

One Final Ralph Covert Interview

OK, I think I've given Ralph Covert enough Ralph's World web space over the past two or three weeks to last quite some time, but Bill points out that Covert will be on today's (Wednesday's) All Things Considered. Update: From NPR's daily rundown highlighting a piece from the next show (that'd be today's) - "In Ralph Covert's world, songs about psychic cats and happy lemons co-exist with songs about grumpy parents. He talks about his latest children's CD and how he writes songs for kids, adults and himself." Update #2: Based on today's rundown, listen at around 50 minutes past the hour (which one depends on when your local station picks up the show) to hear the interview with Michele Norris live. Or just go here at 7:30 Eastern time to listen to a Windows Media Player version of the show (along with 3 tracks which if you're reading this you almost certainly already have). Or e-mail the heck out of the story and eventually it'll end up on NPR's most e-mailed stories list and possibly show up on an iTunes podcast.

The Top 50 Kids Songs of All Time: Songs 31-35

The list continues. I'd been planning to post this entry this morning, so I found the fact that somebody just posted a comment on the last list of "Hey, whatever happened to the rest of the list?" amusing. And to think I originally thought I'd crank these out in about two weeks. In any case, here are the previous entries: Songs 36 through 40 Songs 41 through 45 Songs 46 through 50 And don't forget, there's still time to enter the contest. You can win a free CD! 35. "All Through the Night" - traditional: A traditional Welsh lullaby with less than straightforward lyrical hurdles to jump ("Soft the drowsy hours are creeping / Hill and dale in slumber steeping"), it's the melody that makes this classic. I'm amazed that this isn't covered more -- it's not like the lyrics are that difficult -- easily within the reach of a parent tired of singing more familiar lullabies. (Listen to a sample from Mae Robertson's rendition here.) 34. "Skidamarink" - traditional: Most uptempo lullaby ever. Actually, I'm not sure it's even a lullaby -- I just first heard it on a lullaby album. Compared to the very serious lullabies (see #35, for example), this is a refreshing alternative. (You can hear a sample of the version that introduced me to the song here. Listen to a sample from the Old Town School of Folk Music rendition here. A bit more uptempo.) 33. "Skip To My Lou" - traditional. There's the innocuous version ("Fly's in the buttermilk / Shoo, fly, shoo") and the embittered, scorned-preschooler version ("Lost my partnet / What'll I do?... / I'll find another one / Prettier than you"). (Raffi does the innocuous version, Bullfrog Jumped includes the other version.) 32. "If You're Happy and You Know It" - traditional. One of those songs that if you're the least bit cynical and tired you're just not going to appreciate. But it's a very simple song that kids have fun with -- who doesn't like clapping their hands or stomping their feet when they're 3? (The Old Town School of Folk Music -- who else? -- does a fun version on Songs For Wiggleworms -- sample here.) 31. "BINGO" - traditional. Actually, this is kinda hard for kids to completely master, though they'll have fun clapping. Now that I think about it, by the time the song gets to "clap, clap, CLAP CLAP OH!," I still have problems with it. Unfortunately, I can't think of any must-hear versions of the song -- it's too prescriptive for massive creativity. (Still, you can always go back to Wiggleworms Love You here.)

The Third Way of Ralph's World

Parent Place, the Orlando Sentinel's parenting blog (and Friend-of-Zooglobble, Media Division) has posted an interview with Ralph Covert of Ralph's World. It includes a quotation from Covert talking about "the vision of, it ain’t Barney and it ain’t Disturbed. It’s the sweet spot in the middle that actually pleases everybody." Covert's offering a third way, and while I'd certainly take Ralph's World over either extreme he offers, it's an interesting parlor game: Barney or Disturbed?