There's not much secret to the appeal of Seattle's
Not-Its -- take standard kid-friendly subjects like kindergarten friends, boo-boos, and fanciful trips to outer space, mix in crunchy alternative rock, and add a dash of visual style. Voila! The band had the formula down pretty much right out of the gate on their debut and on their follow-up
Time Out To Rock they don't tinker with it much.
There are hooks galore for the kids and parents to latch onto -- "Welcome To Our School" features a killer guitar riff, bouncy drums, sweet harmonies, and life lessons. It's a template the band duplicates through most of the album. It's proof, perhaps, that it's not so much the message of average kids music that drives parents bonkers as much as it is the often-poor delivery. I mean, being friendly to the new kid at school is at its heart obvious and a little preachy. But it's a song that stands up to repeated listening, which is more than can be said of a lot of other songs imparting life lessons. See also, for example, "Say It Loudly," which says as clearly (and loudly) as possible that people should speak up against bullies, or the mellow alt-rock of "Change My Luck." That last track is one of the album's last 3 songs, in which the band dials the rock back a bit, but for the most part this is an uptempo, bop-your-head-and-toes disk. As always, lead singer Sarah Shannon's clear and direct voice is a big asset to the band, not only on the rock tunes (the missing Heart kids song "Green Light, Go!") but also the gentler ones such as album closer "Hollow Tree."
Kids ages 4 through 8 are most likely to appreciate the songs here. You can listen to a number of songs from the album
here. (And I'd just like to say that I appreciate the high quality packaging, which makes it easy and appealing to give the album to others.
While there's nothing particularly revolutionary about the Not-Its formula, they're still among the first that have successfully applied the '90s alt-rock musical template to kids music without going over the heads of the kids who are their primary audience. They rock, and that's enough for us. Definitely recommended.
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review and also premiered one of the album tracks here on the website.
Let's see if I can write the review for Move Over Lullabies... It's Time for Wake Up Songs!, the spring EP from Maine's Flannery Brothers, in less time than it takes to listen to the album itself - just 15 minutes. (A lot less than the amount of time I spun the disk, that's for sure.)
It's a novel twist on the standard kids music trope, the lullaby album. That's right, with its bright yellow cover and a picture of a very friendly-looking dog on the back, it's an album designed to get your kids up and at 'em bright and early. If they listen to the disk before you have your coffee or yoga or morning routine of choice, you run the risk of premature grumpiness, because in less than 15 minutes, they will be excited for the day ("The Wake-Up Song"), grooving to a kazoo-playing dog ("In the Morning") and shaking like you've just given them their sixth latte ("Shake!" - a title which appears to be missing about four exclamation points). With the piano, guitar/bass, and drum trio, it's got a very sunny feel -- a little West Coast jazz for the kids.
Kids ages 3 through 7 will most likely groove to the tracks here, a couple of which can be heard at the brothers' music player at their home page. I think preschool teachers will especially find a song or two on here worth incorporating into their morning routines. As for the rest of us, if this were 40 minutes long, the relentless cheerfulness might wear some folks down, but at 15 minutes in length, it's an excellent dose of orange juice for first thing in the morning. If that's what you need, this is for you. Recommended.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the album for possible review. Also, I think it took me about 20 minutes to write this. Oh well.
So remember that 
When people ask me what to see when they visit Arizona (and the Valley of the Sun in particular) with their families, I have previously been at somewhat of a loss. I mean, the standard family and cultural activities here -- the Zoo, the Children's Museum, etc. -- are good, but if you're coming from another metropolitan area, you probably have something of similar quality in your own town. While baseball spring training is great, it's just one month a year. And a lot of the activities/locations that are unique to Arizona -- I'm thinking of our excellent Native American museum The Heard Museum and the Desert Botanical Garden -- are not necessarily the most friendly for families. Not unfriendly, mind you, just not much of a wow for young kids. I usually just end up telling folks to loll around the grounds and pools of a resort if they're staying there, enjoy the weather (except during this time of year), and make sure to get up to Sedona or the Grand Canyon to enjoy different non-desert sights.
But I've got something to tell 'em now.
I've been following the progress of the 
