Review: Family Time - Ziggy Marley

I'll start this review of Family Time, the first kids music album from Ziggy Marley, by saying that I'm not a big reggae fan. So, when I put my review copy into the CD player my expectations were low. Saying that the album exceeded my expectations, then, would be somewhat like damning with faint praise. So let me put it this way: Family Time is a lot of fun, regardless of what music your family likes. Unsurprisingly, there's a pleasant, laid-back vibe to the album which is one of its greatest strengths. "I Love You Too," for example, with Marley's mom Rita and his sister Cedella, won't change the world but its simple groove will probably put a smile on your face. "Take Me To Jamaica" features a fun duet between Marley and reggae legend Toots Hibbert. And my favorite moment on whole CD might just be when Marley's daughter joins in on the singing on the title track. It certainly isn't polished, but it's exactly that feeling of recording amongst friends and family that takes this album so far. As for the rest of the guest stars, some of it works, some of it doesn't so much. Generally, I liked the female singers -- it's hard to go wrong with two of the best voices in the kids music genre, and Elizabeth Mitchell and Laurie Berkner don't disappoint on their tracks. The male guest stars, not so much -- it's not that Willie Nelson and Paul Simon are bad, just that they don't really add much to the track. And the placement of not one but two Jamie Lee Curtis narrations (one Marley's, one hers) back-to-back at the end of the disk is just plain odd. (Interspersed earlier in the disk, and it might have worked...) The 45-minute album might be targeted to kids ages 3 through 7, but I think a lot of adult fans will find the album eminently listenable as well. You can find samples throughout the internet, the title track on his Myspace page. Ziggy Marley has said that he hoped to make Family Time an album which could be passed down from generation to generation. And while I don't know if it's a timeless classic, there's no doubt that it's worthy of some repeat play. Definitely recommended.

Live Video: The Jimmies

There is no mistaking New York's The Jimmies when they enter a room. Between Ashley Albert walking in a bright red dress (for Austin Kiddie Limits last year she also brought a very western gingham dress as well) and the rest of the Jimmies with their matching white shirts and ties, they rock a uniform better than any kids music band this side of the Wiggles. Between their website, their videos, and, oh yeah, their songs, they've done a great job of defining the Jimmies "brand," much as that term's a bit distasteful. They are, in short, ten tons of fun.

The Jimmies were the one band on the KindieFest 2009 showcase I'd seen before. So I didn't have the thrill of anticipation or curiosity I had with the other acts -- I could just appreciate the showmanship, do the occasional accompanying hand motions, and wonder whether they would hand out egg shakers to the audience (the answer to that was no). Of course, if I were to remember a single event from the set, it'd probably be when Ashley fired off her streamer cannon at the end of "Every Day's a Holiday" and several streamers wrapped themselves around the high-speed ceiling fan at Jalopy, providing a colorful swirl above our heads (that picture to the left doesn't do it justice). I could've tried that three dozen times and never succeeded. It was just Ashley's (good) luck, I think. The Jimmies - "Cool To Be Uncool" (Live at KindieFest 2009)

Listen To This: "Happy Mother's Day" - The Harmonica Pocket

This is either the last song you'll need for Mother's Day 2009 or the first one you'll need for Mother's Day 2010 -- "Happy Mother's Day" from Seattle's Harmonica Pocket. A sweet little love song. (Pssst... here's another song for your listening pleasure: Woody Guthrie's "Little Sacka Sugar". Think of it as the gift the mom gives back to her kids.)

Listen To This: "David's Mandolin" - Elizabeth Mitchell

New music from Elizabeth Mitchell! It's an original tune called "David's Mandolin," and it's 2:50 of sweetness. It's a Mother's Day gift, though really it's a gift from a mother to a child, perhaps. Don't delay in listening, though -- after the weekend, it "goes back into hiding," as Mitchell puts it. Listen to it at Mitchell's Myspace page.

Live Video: AudraRox

At the very start of KindieFest (nee StinkFest) 2009, Audra Tsanos introduced herself by saying "Welcome to my hood." And Tsanos, the force behind AudraRox, wasn't kidding. She lives just a few blocks from Jalopy, she was one of the most gregarious folks in the place, and, heck, her husband's art was hanging on the walls. Not only that, but she not only knew the showcase before it was KindieFest, she knew it before it was StinkFest. (Hootenanny, anyone?) One of my favorite parts of the non-showcase portion of KindieFest was talking with Audra about the compromises associated with dealing with the corporate world. For all of the talk about trying to find additional opportunities for kids music to break through into a higher national consciousness, Audra's experiences with Jack's Big Music Show and Sesame Street show that working with entities designed to create more mass-market entertainment can force compromises you may not be entirely comfortable with. Be careful what you wish for... But those thoughts were pushed aside when AudraRox took the stage, seven strong, led Audra's and Jen's powerful vocals. They played a bunch of cuts from their upcoming album. At the start of the song embedded below, "You Can't Crawl in a Dress," my first reaction was "Flute? Really?," but by the end of the song, with multi-hair-colored and tattooed Tsanos bending backwards to belt out the notes, I figured that Tsanos knew exactly where she was going with her music. (Yeah, the flute rocked, too.) AudraRox - "You Can't Crawl in a Dress" (Live at KindieFest 2009)

A couple more pictures and another new cut after the jump...

Listen To This: "High Roller" - Hullabaloo (plus a shot at fame if not fortune)

San Diego-area band Hullabaloo has been particularly prolific over the past few years, releasing 3 albums in about 3 years, plus a DVD. Now they're prepping they're latest disk, High Roller, and they've posted the title track at their music page. It's an appealing 2-minute country/folk track with a hint of blues thrown in that includes the phrase "rolling on 3-point-5 inch wheels," which made me laugh. Besides the track itself, you also have the chance to have your wee one's face grace the new album cover. Go here for instructions on how to enter, but the gist of it is that you'll submit a picture of your kid to the band's Facebook page. Then I, along with Warren and Ryan Loyko (Rattle-N-Roll birth announcements), will each pick a semi-finalist face from all the entries, leading to an online vote to pick the winner. Entries are due May 15th. Will it be as iconic as Paul Simonon slamming his guitar on the London Calling cover? We shall see....