-
-
-
Search
-
Recent Posts
- Kryptowährungen Handeln Test – Wo sind kryptowährungen verboten?
- Sichere Krypto Börse – Kryptowährung wovon abhängig?
- Kryptologie Uni Ulm | Welche kryptowährungen haben potenzial?
- Scalping Kryptowährung – Wie viele kryptowährungen gibt es bei coinbase?
- Margin Trading Kryptowährungen Yahoo Finance – Warum steigen kryptowährungen so stark?
Blog Archive
October 2025 M T W T F S S « Aug 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Categories
- Activities With Kids
- Adolescence
- Adulthood
- Aging
- Anger Management
- Apps
- Arts Education
- Babies
- Blog
- Books
- Boys to Men
- Breastfeeding
- Camp
- Cars
- Celebrity Dads
- Charity
- Child Development
- Children's Music Reviews
- Columns by Family Man
- Contests
- Creativity
- Dating Dad
- Death
- Divorced Dads
- Education
- Ethics
- Family Communication
- Family Man in the News
- Family Man Recommends
- Family Music
- Family Music Reviews
- Father's Day
- Featured Moms & Dads
- Film
- Food
- Free Stuff
- Friendship
- Gender
- Graduation
- Grandparents
- Halloween
- Health
- Helping Kids Understand Loss
- Holidays
- Humor
- Internet Safety
- LifeofDad.com
- Love and Courtship
- Marriage
- Morals
- Mother's Day
- Movies
- Music
- Newborns
- Over-parenting
- Parenting Stress
- Perspective
- Pets
- Politics
- Protecting Children
- Safety
- School
- Sex Ed
- Siblings
- Single Fathers
- Social Action
- Special Needs
- Sports
- Sweepstakes & Promotions
- Talking About Disasters
- Teens
- Top Ten Lists
- Travel
- Traveling With Kids
- TV
- Tweens
- Uncategorized
- Values
- Vasectomy
- Video
- What Dads Need to Know
- Work-Family Balance
Recent Comments
- Beth on The One That Ends With Hope
- Judi Feldman on The Brass Tacks of Music Education
- Fran Keer on A Road Well Traveled
- norman edelson on A Road Well Traveled
- Justin Rogan on The Gift of Boredom
- © 2025 - Gregory Keer. All rights reserved.
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – Oh Lucky Day!
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
USA Today has heralded Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band as the “Best New Kids” artist of 2011. While it’s a little early for anyone to identify the winning rookie performer of the year, it’s true that this band’s jubilant sound and spot-on lyrics make them stand out in the ever-growing talent pool of kid music.
Last year, Diaz and his bandmates, drummer Theron Derrick and composer-singer Alisha Gaddis, scrambled up the XM Kid’s Place Live charts with the kindie-rock gem “Blue Bear” (you must check out the cut-out art animated video at www.luckydiazmusic.com/media.html.song). On their first full album, the Los Angeles-based group stretches out their blend of roots rock and indie pop on songs that are unabashedly fun and straight-up hip at the same time.
The tone of the entire album is positive without ever being cloying, as evidenced by the song “Smiling,” which sheds light on sometimes scary nursery rhymes. Other tunes play around with travel (“Vacation”), celebrate individualism (“Quite Like You”), and get ‘60s groovy with space-age cats (“Gato Astronauto”). At the heart of Oh Lucky Day! are songs that reference Diaz’s relationship with his daughter, such as the imaginative “Pretty Princess.” The album ends in a lilting ballad called “Dreamland.” Diaz (who often sounds a bit like Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie) duets with Holly Conlan on this last piece as they sing of how a parent can smooth a child’s worries before they go to sleep.
While the last song has its calming qualities, sleep is the last thing this recording will have families doing. It’s full of enough superbly crafted music to kick-start the warm and playful months ahead.
www.luckydiazmusic.com – $13.98 (CD) – Ages 2-7
Brady Rymer – Love Me For Who I Am
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
The illustrations on the cover of Brady Rymer’s CD joyfully depict a diverse range of parents and children. They also come from the artistic talents of Zoe Kakolyris, who has Asperger’s Syndrome and is also profoundly deaf. Given this immediate introduction to the theme of children of all abilities, Rymer could certainly have delivered an album of well-meaning but emotionally cloying songs. But he didn’t.
Instead, Rymer has given us his best family album yet. It rocks (hard), grooves (just try to keep from getting up to dance), and soars (especially on the slower tempo tunes). There really isn’t a misstep in the collection, from the anthemic title track to the gospel-inflected “I Don’t Like Change” to the folk fragility of “Soft Things” (with Laurie Berkner as one half of the duet). Rymer was inspired to write and perform these songs through his work with students at the Celebrate the Children School in New Jersey and a number of the pieces refer to children on the Autism spectrum, such as the terrifically catchy “Picky Eater” and “Tune Out” (featuring funk keyboard legend Bernie Worrell).
The Grammy-nominated Rymer is sending five percent of the profits from this album to Autism Speaks. Help celebrate this month of Autism Awareness by snagging a copy of this outstanding disc. And take a look at the celebratory video on his Web site.
http://www.bradyrymer.com – $14.98 – Ages 2-9
Randy Kaplan – The Kids Are All Id
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
My five year old son was in a bad mood, upset that I wouldn’t let him wear dress shoes with shorts to go to the park. Then, he stopped to listen to the title track of Randy Kaplan’s The Kids Are Al Id CD.
“That’s a funny song,” he said as he laid down on his back to listen to more.
A couple of minutes later, my middle child came in, just in time to hear Kaplan’s version of the traditional “The Derby Rain,” and he commented, “Write this down. My son said that is really good music.”
I must tell you that my kids product test a lot of the music I review, but this time was different because they floated in without invitations and had immediately positive reactions. Frankly, you shouldn’t need more convincing commentary from here on out, but I’ll deliver a little more because this album of original songs and cover tunes has the effect of a Sunday sidewalk performance that becomes an afternoon’s highlight for normally jaded pedestrians.
Playing off the success of 2008’s Loquat Rooftop, the singer-songwriter culls 17 pieces of music from the various levels of his and his family’s consciousness (thus the reference to the “id”). From the folk friendliness of “My Little Laugh” to the wacky grooviness of “Is She a Girl or is She a Monkey,” Kaplan keeps the playful vibe going throughout. Much like his kid radio hit “No Never” from the Loquat recording, “Don’t You Leave Me Here” is a star track for the way Kaplan turns the traditional blues composition into a comedic play about a kid being left with the babysitter (complete with the character voices of a mom, babysitter, and child).
The diverse treats on this album never end. Kaplan offers up a language lesson in a story song on “The Hebrew Speaking Bear,” brings the books of Ezra Jack Keats to life on three tracks, including the linguistically clever “Dream Hat,” and beautifully personalizes the Bob Dylan classic “Forever Young.”
I often get carried away in calling albums one of the best of the year, but for all of its ability to capture children’s perspectives and parents’ experiences this one is one of the best I have ever heard. You need to hear it too.
www.randykaplan.com – $12.99 – Ages 2-9
Charity & The JAMBand – Party Like a Twinkle Star
In a truly Happy New Year gift, Charity & The JAMBand returns with a double album of songs that celebrate childhood and family life with unfettered enthusiasm. Band leader Charity Kahn, who sang and wrote most of the tunes, tours us through 10 compositions devoted to the “Party” side of rocking out and 10 tracks for the “Twinkle” of the night to help young ones wind down the day. Together, the experience feels like a kinetic and soulful 24-hour jam concert.
Along with bandmates Daryn Roven, Paul Lamb, Jake Wood, Danny Zingarelli, and Laurie Pomeranz, the one-time math teacher and software engineer jumps right into action with the “Party” song “Get Your Booty Out of Bed,” featuring a rhythm guitar groove that could energize any kid for hours. In addition to the garage-band edge of “Pancakes” and the kaleidoscopic soundscape of “Beach,” another highlight of disc one is “Some More S’Mores,” which depicts the camping experience in all its natural variety, including the favored dessert of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. “Rockstar” sounds like an anthem of confidence, sung with a Nikka Costa-like power by Charity.
A mother herself, Charity’s maternal instincts sparkle and shine on the mellowed out second disc. “So Long to the Day” channels an Enya lushness while “A Little Night Music” has a milky smooth ‘70s vibe. “Song In Your Heart” hints at symphonic complexity just as “The Reminder” offers a simple message of life affirmation. And “Juggle the Stars” proves how a stripped-down piano works seamlessly with Charity’s quiet song of love’s bolstering affect.
From the Phish-like gyroscopic first disc to the dreamy strains of the second song collection, Charity & The JAMBand have created a lifestyle recording tailored to the ever-changing moods of a family. The album will help kids and their parents soar and cuddle through many a day.
www.jamjamjam.com – $20 – Ages 2-9
Debbie and Friends – More Story Songs & Sing Alongs
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
It’s easy to imagine Debbie Cavalier as a storybook character. She’s got this enchantingly upbeat personality that permeates everything she does, especially her work in entertaining young children. That positivism has led her to everything from awards for her recordings to heavy airplay on satellite radio. It’s even brightened up the usually dark and dour mood of the action TV series 24, which put one of her music videos on the TV of Jack Bauer’s grandchild.
While Cavalier’s new recording with her group of stellar musicians won’t save the world in quite the same way as Kiefer Sutherland’s character often does, it will preserve the average parent’s sanity by engaging his or her kids for the duration of the album. Following the sunshiny kick-off tune of “So, So Happy” is “Willy Won’t,” a song about Cavalier’s nephew who manages to change his facial expression for every family snapshot (listen for the “Sweet Home Alabama”-style piano solo). Check out the animated video to match at the Boston singer-songwriter’s online Fun page (debbieandfriends.net/fun.php).
In keeping with Cavalier’s story theme, “Home Run Ronnie” pitches a tale about a baseball hero by mixing in ballpark sounds and the play-by-play of a game-winning round-tripper. “I Think I Can” borrows the words and theme of The Little Engine That Could as it chugs along with a yarn about self-belief and helping others. All the tracks on the album display expert musicianship and marvelous arrangements (Cavalier also happens to be Dean of Continuing Education at the prestigious Berklee College of Music), including the danceable remix of “Little Red” (a new version of the song from her first CD).
Ever the educator, Cavalier challenges kids’ listening skills and creativity with such songs as “Simon Says” and “Rosie Wrong Rhyme” (perhaps the cleverest composition on the disc). However, Cavalier is as much a student as she is a teacher, as she shows in paying homage to Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath, who warmly harmonizes with her on “Until Next Time.”
With stories to ponder and music to freshen up even the dullest day, Debbie and Friends present captivating family entertainment.
www.DebbieandFriends.net – $9.95 plus shipping – Ages 2-7
Family Man Recommends: Best Albums of 2010
As I sift through old posts that I think still have value, one recent one is my annual list of best family music recordings (of those released between November 1, 2009 and October 31, 2010). I am trying to recreate it from old drafts, so I hope this is at least close to how I ranked them in January. To see reviews of many of these albums, click over to the Family Man Recommends section,
1. Randy Kaplan – The Kids Are All Id
2. The Pop Ups – Outside Voices
3. Dean Jones and Various Artists – Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti
4. Charity and the JAMBand – Party Like a Twinkle Star
5. Elizabeth Mitchell – Sunny Day
6. Sugar Free All Stars – Funky Fresh and Sugar Free
7. Justin Roberts – Jungle Gym
8. Renee and Jeremy – C’Mon
9. Debbie and Friends – More Story Songs and SIngalongs
10. Okee Dokee Brothers – Take It Outside
Honorable mentions go out to the new albums by Ani Zola, Recess Monkey, The Flannery Brothers, Ralph’s World, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Rani Arbo & daisey mayhem, Bill Harley, Keller Williams, Alastair Moock, and The Not-Its.
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – Oh Lucky Day!
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
USA Today has heralded Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band as the “Best New Kids” artist of 2011. While it’s a little early for anyone to identify the winning rookie performer of the year, it’s true that this band’s jubilant sound and spot-on lyrics make them stand out in the ever-growing talent pool of kid music.
Last year, Diaz and his bandmates, drummer Theron Derrick and composer-singer Alisha Gaddis, scrambled up the XM Kid’s Place Live charts with the kindie-rock gem “Blue Bear” (you must check out the cut-out art animated video at www.luckydiazmusic.com/media.html.song). On their first full album, the Los Angeles-based group stretches out their blend of roots rock and indie pop on songs that are unabashedly fun and straight-up hip at the same time.
The tone of the entire album is positive without ever being cloying, as evidenced by the song “Smiling,” which sheds light on sometimes scary nursery rhymes. Other tunes play around with travel (“Vacation”), celebrate individualism (“Quite Like You”), and get ‘60s groovy with space-age cats (“Gato Astronauto”). At the heart of Oh Lucky Day! are songs that reference Diaz’s relationship with his daughter, such as the imaginative “Pretty Princess.” The album ends in a lilting ballad called “Dreamland.” Diaz (who often sounds a bit like Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie) duets with Holly Conlan on this last piece as they sing of how a parent can smooth a child’s worries before they go to sleep.
While the last song has its calming qualities, sleep is the last thing this recording will have families doing. It’s full of enough superbly crafted music to kick-start the warm and playful months ahead.
www.luckydiazmusic.com – $13.98 (CD) – Ages 2-7
Brady Rymer – Love Me For Who I Am
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
The illustrations on the cover of Brady Rymer’s CD joyfully depict a diverse range of parents and children. They also come from the artistic talents of Zoe Kakolyris, who has Asperger’s Syndrome and is also profoundly deaf. Given this immediate introduction to the theme of children of all abilities, Rymer could certainly have delivered an album of well-meaning but emotionally cloying songs. But he didn’t.
Instead, Rymer has given us his best family album yet. It rocks (hard), grooves (just try to keep from getting up to dance), and soars (especially on the slower tempo tunes). There really isn’t a misstep in the collection, from the anthemic title track to the gospel-inflected “I Don’t Like Change” to the folk fragility of “Soft Things” (with Laurie Berkner as one half of the duet). Rymer was inspired to write and perform these songs through his work with students at the Celebrate the Children School in New Jersey and a number of the pieces refer to children on the Autism spectrum, such as the terrifically catchy “Picky Eater” and “Tune Out” (featuring funk keyboard legend Bernie Worrell).
The Grammy-nominated Rymer is sending five percent of the profits from this album to Autism Speaks. Help celebrate this month of Autism Awareness by snagging a copy of this outstanding disc. And take a look at the celebratory video on his Web site.
http://www.bradyrymer.com – $14.98 – Ages 2-9
Randy Kaplan – The Kids Are All Id
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
My five year old son was in a bad mood, upset that I wouldn’t let him wear dress shoes with shorts to go to the park. Then, he stopped to listen to the title track of Randy Kaplan’s The Kids Are Al Id CD.
“That’s a funny song,” he said as he laid down on his back to listen to more.
A couple of minutes later, my middle child came in, just in time to hear Kaplan’s version of the traditional “The Derby Rain,” and he commented, “Write this down. My son said that is really good music.”
I must tell you that my kids product test a lot of the music I review, but this time was different because they floated in without invitations and had immediately positive reactions. Frankly, you shouldn’t need more convincing commentary from here on out, but I’ll deliver a little more because this album of original songs and cover tunes has the effect of a Sunday sidewalk performance that becomes an afternoon’s highlight for normally jaded pedestrians.
Playing off the success of 2008’s Loquat Rooftop, the singer-songwriter culls 17 pieces of music from the various levels of his and his family’s consciousness (thus the reference to the “id”). From the folk friendliness of “My Little Laugh” to the wacky grooviness of “Is She a Girl or is She a Monkey,” Kaplan keeps the playful vibe going throughout. Much like his kid radio hit “No Never” from the Loquat recording, “Don’t You Leave Me Here” is a star track for the way Kaplan turns the traditional blues composition into a comedic play about a kid being left with the babysitter (complete with the character voices of a mom, babysitter, and child).
The diverse treats on this album never end. Kaplan offers up a language lesson in a story song on “The Hebrew Speaking Bear,” brings the books of Ezra Jack Keats to life on three tracks, including the linguistically clever “Dream Hat,” and beautifully personalizes the Bob Dylan classic “Forever Young.”
I often get carried away in calling albums one of the best of the year, but for all of its ability to capture children’s perspectives and parents’ experiences this one is one of the best I have ever heard. You need to hear it too.
www.randykaplan.com – $12.99 – Ages 2-9
Charity & The JAMBand – Party Like a Twinkle Star
In a truly Happy New Year gift, Charity & The JAMBand returns with a double album of songs that celebrate childhood and family life with unfettered enthusiasm. Band leader Charity Kahn, who sang and wrote most of the tunes, tours us through 10 compositions devoted to the “Party” side of rocking out and 10 tracks for the “Twinkle” of the night to help young ones wind down the day. Together, the experience feels like a kinetic and soulful 24-hour jam concert.
Along with bandmates Daryn Roven, Paul Lamb, Jake Wood, Danny Zingarelli, and Laurie Pomeranz, the one-time math teacher and software engineer jumps right into action with the “Party” song “Get Your Booty Out of Bed,” featuring a rhythm guitar groove that could energize any kid for hours. In addition to the garage-band edge of “Pancakes” and the kaleidoscopic soundscape of “Beach,” another highlight of disc one is “Some More S’Mores,” which depicts the camping experience in all its natural variety, including the favored dessert of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. “Rockstar” sounds like an anthem of confidence, sung with a Nikka Costa-like power by Charity.
A mother herself, Charity’s maternal instincts sparkle and shine on the mellowed out second disc. “So Long to the Day” channels an Enya lushness while “A Little Night Music” has a milky smooth ‘70s vibe. “Song In Your Heart” hints at symphonic complexity just as “The Reminder” offers a simple message of life affirmation. And “Juggle the Stars” proves how a stripped-down piano works seamlessly with Charity’s quiet song of love’s bolstering affect.
From the Phish-like gyroscopic first disc to the dreamy strains of the second song collection, Charity & The JAMBand have created a lifestyle recording tailored to the ever-changing moods of a family. The album will help kids and their parents soar and cuddle through many a day.
www.jamjamjam.com – $20 – Ages 2-9
Debbie and Friends – More Story Songs & Sing Alongs
Reviewed by Gregory Keer
It’s easy to imagine Debbie Cavalier as a storybook character. She’s got this enchantingly upbeat personality that permeates everything she does, especially her work in entertaining young children. That positivism has led her to everything from awards for her recordings to heavy airplay on satellite radio. It’s even brightened up the usually dark and dour mood of the action TV series 24, which put one of her music videos on the TV of Jack Bauer’s grandchild.
While Cavalier’s new recording with her group of stellar musicians won’t save the world in quite the same way as Kiefer Sutherland’s character often does, it will preserve the average parent’s sanity by engaging his or her kids for the duration of the album. Following the sunshiny kick-off tune of “So, So Happy” is “Willy Won’t,” a song about Cavalier’s nephew who manages to change his facial expression for every family snapshot (listen for the “Sweet Home Alabama”-style piano solo). Check out the animated video to match at the Boston singer-songwriter’s online Fun page (debbieandfriends.net/fun.php).
In keeping with Cavalier’s story theme, “Home Run Ronnie” pitches a tale about a baseball hero by mixing in ballpark sounds and the play-by-play of a game-winning round-tripper. “I Think I Can” borrows the words and theme of The Little Engine That Could as it chugs along with a yarn about self-belief and helping others. All the tracks on the album display expert musicianship and marvelous arrangements (Cavalier also happens to be Dean of Continuing Education at the prestigious Berklee College of Music), including the danceable remix of “Little Red” (a new version of the song from her first CD).
Ever the educator, Cavalier challenges kids’ listening skills and creativity with such songs as “Simon Says” and “Rosie Wrong Rhyme” (perhaps the cleverest composition on the disc). However, Cavalier is as much a student as she is a teacher, as she shows in paying homage to Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath, who warmly harmonizes with her on “Until Next Time.”
With stories to ponder and music to freshen up even the dullest day, Debbie and Friends present captivating family entertainment.
www.DebbieandFriends.net – $9.95 plus shipping – Ages 2-7
Family Man Recommends: Best Albums of 2010
As I sift through old posts that I think still have value, one recent one is my annual list of best family music recordings (of those released between November 1, 2009 and October 31, 2010). I am trying to recreate it from old drafts, so I hope this is at least close to how I ranked them in January. To see reviews of many of these albums, click over to the Family Man Recommends section,
1. Randy Kaplan – The Kids Are All Id
2. The Pop Ups – Outside Voices
3. Dean Jones and Various Artists – Many Hands: Family Music for Haiti
4. Charity and the JAMBand – Party Like a Twinkle Star
5. Elizabeth Mitchell – Sunny Day
6. Sugar Free All Stars – Funky Fresh and Sugar Free
7. Justin Roberts – Jungle Gym
8. Renee and Jeremy – C’Mon
9. Debbie and Friends – More Story Songs and SIngalongs
10. Okee Dokee Brothers – Take It Outside
Honorable mentions go out to the new albums by Ani Zola, Recess Monkey, The Flannery Brothers, Ralph’s World, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Rani Arbo & daisey mayhem, Bill Harley, Keller Williams, Alastair Moock, and The Not-Its.