I’ve been a bit irritated with Billy Jonas for the last few years. After wearing out his 2002 What Kind of Cat Are You? CD -- the disc finally succumbed to scratches from being listened to by three different children and carried in and out of the house and to and from our two cars -- I expected a follow up to come a little sooner than seven years. However, the waiting has been worth it because this new recording richly rewards his Bucket Brigade (the name of his fan club).
Happy Accidents is actually a more complete album than Billy’s previous one as it builds on themes he introduced on Cat and capitalizes on all the touring his done around the country, playing his interactive concerts at schools and other kid-friendly venues. My family has seen him live three times and there is no entertainer who brings more delight to his performances than this North Carolina singer-songwriter.
From the first 15 tracks on the CD, some of the most notable include “Who’s Gonna Make Our Music?!” a funky call-and-response number that celebrates Jonas’s crusade to get kids to make music from the common objects around them. The ‘40s jazz feel of “Vitamin Alphabet” is, like “Open Sesame” and “Knock Knock,” a marvelous showcase for the way Jonas finds irony and playfulness in everyday language. Another example of this kind of wordplay is the sequel to the prior recording’s title track, “What Kind of Dog Are You?” which inquires about dogs, cows, yaks, and more.
Jonas adds a world music theme to the album with the clever Spanish-language infused “Cabeza” and the kalimba/marimba supported “Hollow Bamboo.” He then closes out the music with the “Wake Up Suite,” chronicling the morning rituals of a kid going from the pillow to the front door.
Jonas truly loves entertaining kids and inflects this album with children’s participation on most of the tracks. Happy Accidents may have taken a long time to arrive, but it’s the mark of a purposeful musician with a lot of joy to share.
