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Top Pop
by Music For Little People is just right for children attracted to
pop but perhaps not quite old enough for some of its lyrics and
themes. Top Pop features fun songs, like Walk Like an Egyptian,
Get the Party Started, and YMCA--all sung by
preteens and teenagers with some of the lyrics "cleaned
up" for young audiences. There are plenty of fun songs here,
such as Who Let the Dogs Out? and the theme from Spiderman.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy:
Top Pop
at Amazon.com]
Lovely Baby is an
interesting line of recordings for babies. The Lovely Baby: Baby
Classics is a truly "lovely" collection of classical
music, for example. It features classical pieces like Moonlight
Sonata, Brahms' Lullaby, and Ode to Joy by
composer Raimond Lap. There are no lyrics, except for baby babbles
and some sounds of nature. It's very peaceful, yet gently
stimulating. We will have a full review of this series soon. For
now, you can visit their site: Lovely
Baby for more information.
Western music
for kids...that's what Buck Howdy's Skidaddle! is all about. This
pleasant collection of songs, some of which are standard cowboy
tunes, can be enjoyed by both parents and their kids. Our favorite
is the cover, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", which is redone
with sweet and warm style. "Splish Splash" is buckets of
fun as well. In fact, the entire album is a treat! It has a
genuine quality that's hard to beat, and Skidaddle! features a
nice variety of songs and styles.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Skidaddle!
at Amazon.com]
Ben Rudnick
and Friends' latest children's recording, appropriately titled Fun
and Games, is fun from the catchy opening tune, Sally
Salamander, to the lullaby, Everything is Alright. This
recording is, quite simply, outstanding. Margo Timmins and Jeff
Bird of the Cowboy Junkies are some of Bed Rudnick's musical
friends on the album. We love this one! It's fun and warm, though
it never becomes "too much". There's even an ode to
macaroni and cheese--a food that is comforting to many young
children (I even know of one child who wishes he could record the
swishing sound macaroni and cheese makes when it's stirred in a
pot for bedtime!). Easy-going sounds and
delightful story-songs are featured.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Fun and Games
at Amazon.com]
Ralph Covert
has done it again with his third children's music release,
entitled Happy Lemons. If you haven't yet entered Ralph's
World, you can safely start with any of the releases. This latest
is as family-pleasing as its predecessors. The title song is all
about the joys of lemonade in the shade; and there are some
delightful covers, such as Betty Botter and What's New Pussycat?
that our child testers are crazy for.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Happy Lemons
at Amazon.com]
Music For Little People's latest
release in their Celebration series is Celebration of
Disco. Compiling some of the biggest disco hits from the
seventies' Disco era, carefully selected for kid-friendly lyrics,
this new recording can be enjoyed by parents as well as children.
Some of the songs included are Kool and the Gang's Celebration, KC
& the Sunshine Band's That's The Way (I Like It), and Y.M.C.A
performed by the MFLP singers. And, do you remember Disco Duck?
It's here too!
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Celebration of Disco
at Amazon.com]

Some
of the latest releases in children's music are exciting indeed--Raffi,
who hasn't released a new album for 7 years, Hap Palmer, James
Coffey, and more. What follows are some standouts.
Daddy-O
Daddy! (Rare Family Songs of Woody Guthrie) American folk
singer and guitarist Woody Guthrie is honored in this
family recording that collects six previously unrecorded songs as
well as Guthrie favorites, performed by the likes of Taj Mahal,
Billy Bragg, Syd Straw, and more. Some of the songs on this
recording were written for Guthrie's own children. Taj Mahal does Little
Sack O Sugar--a standout song with lines like, "little
sack of sugar I could eat you up" and, "Hee, hee, hee,
my little sack of 'taters/So pretty, pretty, pretty, I could eat
your toes". Dry Bed, performed by Billy Bragg &
The Blokes, is a fun celebration of continence. Also included is a
recitation of Howdy Little Newlycome by Woody himself. This
is an exceptional, awe-inspiring, "must-own" family recording.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Daddy-O Daddy! Rare Family Songs of...
at Amazon.com]
Ralph's
World: At the Bottom of the Sea follows the outstanding
release, Ralph's World, with gusto. You'd think it would be
difficult to follow up on such an outstanding children's recording
as Ralph's World, but this second album from Ralph Covert is
fantastic. The whole family will adore the peppy, creative songs
on this recording.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: At the Bottom of the Sea
at Amazon.com]
Raffi:
Let's Play makes a terrific addition to your preschooler's
music collection. Wonderfully warm and happy songs fill the CD,
and although Raffi's Singable Songs for the Very Young
remains our favorite, this latest release is special. Some
standouts include the title song, Yellow Submarine, an
adaptation of If You're Happy and You Know It, and the
delightfully silly Jiggledy Jill (I fall uphill). This CD
will not disappoint!
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Let's Play
at Amazon.com]
Hap Palmer:
One Little Sound - Fun with Phonics and Numbers From
the "Baby Songs" man comes another warmly educational
and fun album that aims to familiarize young children with letter
sounds and numbers. Children count, sort, sing, and move along to the
music. The CD comes with suggested activities, but the lyrics do a
great job of inspiring children to act out as they listen.
Excellent for preschoolers, both at home and in school.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: One Little Sound - Fun With Phonics And...
at Amazon.com]
Beethoven's
Wig is a riot. Funny lyrics are set to classical works from
the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. Children will
thoroughly enjoy learning about the famous composers and singing
along to the goofy lyrics--all while they become familiar with
popular classical music recordings. The songs are upbeat, and each is played as an
instrumental on the second half of the CD. Exceptional and fun
album!
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies
at Amazon.com]
Trout
Fishing in America: inFINity is absolutely fun. Although Trout
Fishing in America didn't start out playing music for kids, what
this two-man band does for children's music is about as original
as its name. On listening to these kid-friendly, folksy songs,
it feels a bit like you are enjoying a comedy routine at the same
time. This collection of songs will entertain parents as much as
their kids. Your Name Backwards is a favorite song, in
which "ordinary names become bizarre" if they're
pronounced backwards (Fred becomes Derf, Robert becomes Trebor,
and Michelangelo becomes...). An
"it-could-be-much-worse" philosophy is adopted in the
cute Happy That You're Here ditty, in which Ezra
starts off saying that he's happy in a manner that comes across as
"insincere", and Keith keeps trying to convince
him that he should be "tickled". Traveling-with-kids
"issues" are addressed in Are We There Yet?,
and Dinosaur in Your Bathtub (and a hippopotamus playing
video games) is just plain fun.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: inFINity
at Amazon.com]
James Coffey: My Mama Was a
Train is just right for young locomotive-loving children.
Songs like The Little Red Caboose Behind the Train, Counting
Those Railroad Cars, and Down By the Station will
delight little listeners. Complete with whistle blows, clickety-clacks,
and jolly lyrics, My Mama Was a Train is a CD you'll want to play
on the road.
[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy: My Mama Was a Train
at Amazon.com]
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