New Dan Zanes CD: I've Got Good News, I've Got Bad News

So, if I hear that Dan Zanes is releasing a new EP and a book described as a "sing-a-long activity booklet," I get excited. Until I hear that it's only being sold with his first four albums. Now for $43.97 for the boxset at Amazon and from Zanes himself, it's an excellent price, particularly if all you have is Catch That Train!. But for the DZ fanatics among us (raises hand), that's just a bit too steep (and not worth the effort to eBay all the copies we currently have). Music just wants to be free, Dan! Stop the double-dipping! Tracklist: 1. Jug Band Music 2. Jim Along Josie 3. Sloop John B. (previously released) 4. All Around The Kitchen (previously released) 5. Home In That Rock

The Top 50 Kids Songs of All Time: Songs 1-5

Without any further ado, here they are, the top 5 kids songs of all time. (OK, a little further ado.) Previous entries Songs 6 through 10 Songs 11 through 15 Songs 16 through 20 Songs 21 through 25 Songs 26 through 30 Songs 31 through 35 Songs 36 through 40 Songs 41 through 45 Songs 46 through 50 (Oh, and I'll figure out the contest winner soon.) 5. "Lullaby" - Johannes Brahms: Yeah, I didn't really want to cover too many lullabies here, but this one is so common that it seemed churlish not to include it.  Our daughter calls it the "Doo doo doo" song, but we usually get bored of singing that sound to the familiar melody ("Lullaby / And goodnight / Something something and something..").  Try quacking the melody.  Not particularly soothing, but a fun bedtime routine nonetheless.  I am not going to link to the samples of Celine Dion's, Aaron Neville's, or Olivia Newton-John's take on the song, because I am going to make the blanket assumption that your child or niece or grandchild or random kid off the streets will prefer your version to what I assume is an incredibly overwrought version by an actual professional singer. 4. "Miss Mary Mack" - traditional: Sure, it's traditional (dates back to the 19th century at least), but I've always associated it with the first lady of American kids music, Ella Jenkins.  I was (pleasantly) surprised to hear my daughter singing it one day at home -- they're still teaching it in kindergarten, thousands of miles away from Chicago.  Hand-clappin', jump-ropin', rockin' out, whatever, it's still an simple tune with fun lyrics.  (You can hear a traditional version here, sample a Sweet Honey in the Rock  tribute here or a sample of Erin Flynn's half-traditional/half-revisionist take here.) 3. "Three is a Magic Number" - Bob Dorough: Like this was going to be anywhere else on this list.  Here's the thing about this song -- I've yet to hear a bad version of it.  Blind Melon?  Check.  The Jellydots? Check.  Jack Johnson blended the song with lyrics about recycling to energetic effect on "The 3 Rs."  It teaches math, it teaches history, and it's incredibly catchy.  (And if those YouTube and Myspace references aren't enough, here's the original.) 2. "You Are My Sunshine" - Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell: This is one of those kids' songs that's more popular, I think, because people don't bother singing the verses, which aren't necessarily full of unconditional love ("you have shattered all my dreams"), and instead sing the chorus.  It's not that the chorus is all sunshine and light, either, but it's close enough (or with a tweak or two, "and I love you more everyday..," completely innocuous).  And that melody -- so totally singable.  (You can listen to Davis' 1931 recording here.  You can also listen to Elizabeth Mitchell's version here -- click on "Sunshine," then "Listen.") 1. "ABCs/Twinkle Twinkle/Baa Baa Black Sheep" - trad. lyrics, music is a French folk tune ("Ah, vous dirai-je, maman") arranged by Louis Le Maire:  I really don't know what else to say here.  It's a melody that's been adapted to at least three classic songs, songs that are part of the English-language canon, really.  (Which isn't to say that other countries with other languages aren't familiar with it, either.)  People (including me) think that Mozart wrote the melody (he didn't -- he just adapted it.)  That song is so ingrained in your head that you can sing it over and over half-asleep at a 2 AM feeding.  There's no need for a sample -- go ahead and sing it to your kid, your friends' kids, whomever.  There is no other choice.  #1.

What Kind of Cold Beverages Do Kids Like?

Well, thanks to Karen in Chicago, who attended the Kidzapalooza kickoff party in Chicago a few days back, this question is a little more relevant. I noted the Kidzapalooza lineup a few days ago, but Karen in Chicago went to the party and noted an additional performer: G. Love. Now, the only kids' song I know G. Love has recorded is "Jungle Gym," with Jack Johnson on the Curious George soundtrack. Assuming he's not going to play that song a dozen times straight (how punk would that be?), maybe he's got some new stuff up his sleeve. Heck, if you can tolerate a few references to adult beverages, "Cold Beverage" itself would be easily G-rated.

Review: Dark Side of the Moon Bounce - Rocknoceros

DarkSideoftheMoonBounce.jpgAfter 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.

Review: The Rock 'N' Roll Coochicoo Revue - Various Artists

RockNRollCoochicooRevue.jpgAnother week, another collection of kids' songs from artists whose regular gigs usually occur well after the target audience for these compilations have gone to bed. It's easy to believe that some of these compilations are rushed to cash in on the current fad for kids' rock'n'roll, but in the case of the recently-released Rock 'N' Roll Coochicoo Revue, that's not the case.  Four years in the planning by Tanya Donnelly (Breeders, Belly) and Chris Toppin (Fuzzy), it's filled with original tracks from Boston-area musicians and friends, some of whom might be familiar if you listened to your local alternative rock station in the '90s (you know, before it went all nu-metal). With the title of the CD, you might expect the CD to rock hard, but the heavy rockers are more the exception than the rule.  The outstanding track here is the power-poppy "What Do You Like More?," which provides the listener with a bunch of kid-friendly choices ("lions... or tigers?... sneakers... or shoes?") set to a great hook and layered sounds.  Toppin turns in a slightly-fuzzed-out "Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball" that's fun, too. Most of the tracks are gentler in nature.  Donnelly lends her distinctive voice to the dreamlike (literally) "Laluna the Loon" while Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz turns in a very goofy "The Farm Where Everyone Does What They Want To Do."  Kay Hanley, who once sang for Letters to Cleo, turns in the slightly nonsensical "Baby, Baby."  In fact, I kept writing "silly" or "goofy" in my notes for many of these songs.  They're gently goofy, not "Weird Al" goofy, but their tone prevails as opposed slightly more serious songs (the happy-yet-a-little-bit-sad "Funny Face," about a kid who hasn't smiled so much lately).  Most of the songs are targeted at the kids, though Warren Zanes (part of a family who knows a thing or two about the kids and family music genre) sings very much from the parent's point of view in "In Need You, Knock! Knock!"  There aren't any bad songs here, but some of them just sort of pass by in a way that makes me think kids would be less than enthused. Some of the songs skew a little younger, but it's most for kids ages four through eight.  You can hear four of the tracks at the album's Myspace page, or samples from all of the tracks at its CDBaby page.  Some of the album's proceeds will go towards Mark Sandman’s (the late Morphine singer-songwriter) Music Education Fund. One interesting thing for listeners of my generation is how a number of the alt-rock artists from our college days have settled down and are trying to fit their rock peg into the kids' music hole, if only on a one-time basis.  The Rock 'N' Roll Coochicoo Revue isn't the first album that does so, but it's the one that puts the trend in sharpest relief.  If it doesn't quite reach the kids-comp goldmine of the DeSoto Play! compilation or Bloodshot Records' The Bottle Let Me Down, no matter, there's enough good stuff here to please a whole host of  families.  Recommended.