Too Many Cookes – Down at the Zoo

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Family Man

Reviewed by Gregory Keer

Although Mick Cooke took his own sweet time to join the Scottish pop group Belle and Sebastian — he started with their third disc, 1998’s marvelous The Boy With the Arab Strap — the origin of that band is somehow linked to the work Cooke has done for his new album. It seems that B & S based their name on a 1960s French children’s book. Indeed, Belle and Sebastian have maintained an air of playfulness in their melding of classic and cutting-edge pop, and the same can be said of Cooke’s Down at the Zoo project.

While most kid albums are geared to the elementary-school crowd — and their parents who are looking for grown-up touches in the music — Down at the Zoo plays to the heart of the birth to preschool set. Filled with fantastically catchy tunes, the recording takes children on a musical tour of the zoo. Starting with “The Zookeeper’s Song,” kids are treated to a counting ditty that has a decidedly UK flair, including the Scottish-accented narration (by Richard Colburn, the drummer of B & S) and Gilbert and Sullivan-esque melody. “We Are the Tigers” is one of the most fun tracks with its B-52’s (think “Rock Lobster”) sound and the line,”We like to roam around/And eat chocolate pie.” “Yvette the Vet” uses wordplay to teach young ones about a key professional in the zoo world.

Cooke and his players borrow some tricks from the Dixieland jazz genre on “Playtime for the Penguins.” “Cecil the Saddest of Snakes” gets the lounge-act treatment in this song about a reptile who needs some cheering up. The album is never short on humor, as evidenced by “The Crocodile Synchronised Swimming Team” (a New Wave-y song about some shape-making snappers) and “The Monkeys Are Breaking Out the Zoo” (a popular track that appeared on Colours Are Brighter, the children’s album Cooke assembled with music by the likes of B & S, Franz Ferdinand, and Snow Patrol).

Down at the Zoo, already a hit in the UK, gallops, flies, and swims to our American shores with 14 tracks of preschool rhythm and rhyme. Take a break from the Wiggles and Raffi and visit this Zoo.

www.wearethetigers.com – $7.99 (download) – Ages birth to 5

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Sunshine Collective – Wanna Play?

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Family Man

Reviewed by Gregory Keer

What’s in a name? If your moniker is Sunshine Collective, then the expectation is that you’ll be full of warmth, brightness, and togetherness. Yep, that accurately describes this summer-appropriate band and its album bursting with happy sounds.

A classical introduction segues into “I Just Wanna Play,” a tune that could be the musical daughter of “I’ve Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates” in its ‘70s feel-good vibe. Vocalist and co-songwriter Stephanie Richards has a sophisticated foundation in her skills while letting loose with her playful side on this and other tracks.

The Sunshine Collective, led by the Los Angeles-based husband-and-wife team of Richards and Brian Arbuckle, liberally borrows from bygone eras to season its songs, including the jazzy “Love Makes Life So Sweet” (check out that Stephane Grappelli-style violin) and “Mad About You,” a charming, Dixieland brassy piece about how one good person can make the pitfalls of a day easier.

The positive themes and lyrics of this recording are more open-ended than child-specific (though Richards and Arbuckle have two young daughters), which makes it a true treat for an adult who might want to sit alone with the iPod, especially for a song such as “Fun, Fun, Fun,” with its simple message of being with someone who makes you happy.

One of the other delights of the CD is that you can actually hear the instruments on each track. Produced by group co-leader and multi-instrumentalist Brian Arbuckle, the sound is pure and clear, allowing young listeners the chance to focus on how a piano or violin should come through, without heavy engineering. “A Thousand Notable Things” isolates various instruments, including Richards’s voice, in an uplifting and luxurious way.

For its fine musicianship and genial disposition, this is a recording you should play for your kids, for yourselves, for anyone who could use a bit more sunshine.

www.sunshinecollective.com – $11.99 (CD) – Ages 3-100

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4th of July Songs for Kids

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Family Man

Music maven Dave Sloan has posted his picks for a 4th of July playlist. It includes some unexpected (no surprise with Dave) selections from Violent Femmes, the Pogues, and more. For kids, there are plenty of patriotic songs worth cranking up while you fire up BBQs. Some more conventional but worthwhile choices include Ray Charles’s “America the Beautiful,” Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom,” and Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is My Land.” Every year, someone (I believe it’s the invaluable TCM cable channel) airs Michael Curtiz’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, a musical biopic of Broadway legend George M. Cohan, with James Cagney in the title role. I highly recommend this classic for its unabashed positivism and patriotism about the man who wrote such songs as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” Make sure to catch the black-and-white version if you can. What are some of your favorite 4th of July songs?

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Father’s Day Music Playlist

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Family Man

Friend and fellow music lover Dave Sloan has taken all the guesswork out of creating a Dad’s Day playlist. Go to his blog, Let’s Not Get Carried Away, for some excellent choices, including Randy Newman’s “Memo to My Son” and De La Soul’s “Magic Number” (an all-time favorite of mine).

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Sing To Your Baby on Father’s Day

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Family Man

As a parent and music lover, I have long been a fan of Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, the Grammy award-winning duo behind such albums as Pillow Full of Wishes and the recent EP Banjo to Beatbox. While these highly lauded ladies have long been leaders in innovating new music to help parents and educators connect with kids, they’ve outdone themselves with their newest project, Sing to Your Baby. Based on audience requests and scientific backing that explains how vital it is for babies to bond with the voice of their parents, this is a combination picture book and CD ($19.95 from the Web site) which offers songs that any parent or child guardian can croon. In fact, Fink and Marxer recorded each song in two different keys to make it easier for parents to find the most comfortable way to sing. For the male versions of the songs, Michael Stein, a cantor and original cast member of Jesus Christ Superstar shows the way for dads, grandpa’s, and uncles to sing such sweet tunes as “Love Is What I Feel For You,” “Rockin’ My Baby,” and “Baby’s Got a Giggle.” This is empowering stuff for parents and a powerfully emotional tool to connect with your baby.

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Recess Monkey – Flying!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Family Man

Reviewed by Gregory Keer

When they become parents, my children will have a few music acts they will remember fondly enough to share with their own kids on whatever super-space-age record player they will have in the future. But there is one particular group I imagine they will pull out first because it seems to fit so perfectly in the future – as well as the present and past, for that matter. This group will be Recess Monkey. While other solo acts write terrific songs and numerous ensembles have catchy sounds, Recess Monkey captures the attention of my sons because of their ever-surprising mix of music, storytelling, and gymnastic imagination.

On their seventh release (one for each year since they debuted with 2005’s Welcome to Recess Monkey Town), this band of elementary schoolteachers-turned kindie rock stars has crafted an album that is as playful as it is mind-expanding for kids. Flying! continues the group’s penchant for themed-recordings as it runs, leaps, and lifts heavy weight off the ordinary family CD with its songs about blending real-life with flights of superhero fancy. Produced by Tor Hyams, who maintains his reputation as the Willy Wonka of family music, the disc is pop rock suitable for grown-ups – but better.

The title track goes “Flying!” with its bouncy beat into the blue skies of heroic thoughts (assisted by the band’s trademark “radio reports”), a Latin vamp drives “Covered in Band-Aids” about an intrepid little sister, and crunchy rock guitar propels the “Bravest Kid in the World’s” message about the courage of making values-based choices. Things get funky with, of all subjects, a tune called “Grandmom’s House” and the sound goes ‘50s doo-wop on “Bunk Bed.”

The Seattle-based trio of Jack Forman, Daron Henry, and Drew Hollway have made an album of swift intelligence and powerful fun, illustrating that Recess Monkey has reached music superhero status.

www.recessmonkey.com – $14.99 (CD) – Ages 3-8

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Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – Oh Lucky Day!

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Family Man

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

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Brady Rymer – Love Me For Who I Am

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Family Man

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

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Randy Kaplan – The Kids Are All Id

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Family Man

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

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Charity & The JAMBand – Party Like a Twinkle Star

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Family Man

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

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