Quiet Night

Quiet Night. CD. Performed by Angela James. Approx. 25 min. Prod. by Queen Anne Music. 2019. CD and Digital: $10.00. ISBN unavail.

Infant-toddler and parents

            Angela James creates eight lovely, dreamy lullabies, not only to help babies sleep, but also to calm weary and emotional parents. “Hummingbird” and “Hattie’s Dream,” both instrumental pieces, open and close the album; which is performed in gentle, soothing tones. The backup musicians give excellent performances on  melodic instruments including guitar, bass clarinet, bassoon, and vibraphone. The songs depict the onset of night time, with everything in the city slowing down; a baby being the center of a parent's universe; parental promises to stay near their baby; holding the baby close until the birds sing, and the sun rises; and sleep likened to sailing as the parent rocks the baby to sleep. Song titles include "Goodnight, My Honey;" "Sun and Moon;" "You're Always at Home;" "Sweetest Bird;" "Quiet Night;" and "Sailing." Angela’s deep rich alto voice will soothe and lull young ones to sleep as well as help de-stress parents.
Website: www.angelajamesmusic.com 

           

Thunder In My Arms

Thunder in My Arms. Performed by Lissa Schneckenburger. CD. Approx. 38 min. Label: Footprint Records. 2019. Price: CD: $15; DL: $10.

Adult

I am not especially interested in reviewing music for adults, but I made an exception for this album, as it also involves children. Lissa Schneckenburger wrote these 10 songs especially for adoptive and foster parents who care for children with developmental trauma. She wanted to communicate the emotion of these parents and children through music. Lissa’s clear, strong vocals are perfect for these pop rock tunes. The instrumental musicians back her up with professional expertise on guitar, violin, viola, cello, upright bass, saxophone and unspecified woodwinds, trumpet, trombone, organ, and drums. “Look Away” exposes the raw emotions of a child who is either in a foster home or an orphanage. In “On My Own,” a child reminisces about his original family (but not in a good way). The love of a parent for her adopted child begins “Since the Day We Met,” and she promises she will always be there. Although “The 11^th Labor of Hercules” is billed as using the Greek myth as a metaphor, it reminded me of the story of “Tam Lin;” in this case, the child turns into various vicious beasts, but the mother hangs on to him anyway. In “I Need Us Together,” it’s unclear whether the parent is keeping the child calm, or vice versa. The narrator uses various methods to deal with stressful situations in “Feel Better.” A biological parent mourns for the child she/he gave up when “They Sent Me a Picture.” A parent promises that “I’ll Stick Around.” A parent and child alternate their reminiscences, including the anniversary of the adoption as they “Blow Out the Candles.” Finally, “When My Baby Cries” describes how the different moods of the baby—crying, smiling, laughing—affect the parent. Schneckenburger’s music will be of great comfort to these parents, as well as bring them hope.
Website: https://lissafiddle.bandcamp.com

Buenos Diaz

Buenos Diaz. Performed by The Lucky Band . CD. Approx. 30 min. Label: Rainy Day Dime Music. 2019. Price: CD: $13.99; DL: $9.49.

Pre-S—Gr 5

     Latin Grammy winners Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis are the heart of The Lucky Band, and here perform ten energetic original songs and 1 cover in rock and various Latin styles including Tropicalia and bossa nova. The band members give excellent instrumental performances on guitar, bass, piano, organ, Moog, drums, percussion, kazoo, harmonica, and even toy piano. Most of the songs are bilingual, with Spanish being the dominant language. “Buenos Días” introduces greetings and the hours of the day. “Nacho Song” tells about a man and how he created nachos. “Pan Dulce” is dynamite! “Cómo Se Dice” translates several English words and phrases into Spanish, such as “heart,” “cheese,” and “star.” It is time to learn the taco dance on “Taco Tuesday.” To make hot cocoa and chocolate cake, one must “Mix It Up.” A dance song, “El Corazon” encourages listeners to follow the dance movements. “El Sol Te Siga” is a cover of “Sun Will Follow” by Pianosaurus. “Wake Up,” “Zapatitos,” and “Estrellita” are all in Spanish. In addition to being fun to listen to, this album could help those learning Spanish or English. 
Website: luckydiazmusic.com

Thumb Wrestling Champions

Thumb Wrestling Champions. Performed by The Green Orbs. CD. Approx. 40 min. Label: Mama Bird Music. 2018. CD and Download: $10.

K-Gr 5—

            Eddie Rosenberg III and his sister Heather Hirshfield make up The Green Orbs (an anagram of Rosenberg). Influenced by the Beatles, oldies radio and 80s songs, they perform 14 original songs in various styles of rock, jazz, pop, country, and a piano waltz. They are assisted by excellent backup musicians on guitar, bass, keyboards, ukulele, saxophone, trumpet, accordion, drums, washboard, and toy frog. “Thumb Wrestling Champions” include tournaments featuring ninja vs. wizard; teddy bear vs. pirate, Sasquatch vs. Abe Lincoln, and other unlikely pairings. “The Suction Cup Shuffle” is a 60s rock dance encouraging listeners to move along with the music. “Doug the Bug” claims that he will clean the rug. “Outside” celebrates the fun of playing outdoors. “Ruby the Tooth Fairy” helps Sally find her tooth when she loses it at the beach. A struggling student and other children seek “Tips from Toby the Turtle.” In “Flower in My Shower,” the narrator finds beauty in ordinary places, such as the shower, the grocery store, and the office. A man called “Robert Broccoli” sits on a bench and feeds the birds broccoli florets. Monty, the only “Duck of Whistleburg” is upset when a new duck shows up in town, because he thinks he will be replaced. The “Twelve Steps to Eating Your Veggies” include don’t freak out, close your eyes, hold your nose, and more. “Soup” is the best thing in the world. Scattered throughout the album are three silly advertisements for “Monster Spray,” partly spoken and partly jingle. This humorous album will tickle the funny bones of all its listeners.

Website: https://www.thegreenorbs.net

Happy Land is Terra Feliz

Happy Land is Tierra Feliz. Performed by Mi Amigo Hamlet. CD. Approx. 55 min. Label: Hamlet Meneses Music. 2018. CD: $15; Download: $9.99.

Pre-S – Grade 2

A native of Guatemala, now based in Chicago, Hamlet Meneses performs 16 songs, all in both Spanish and English. This ambitious production features a variety of Latin musical styles, including merengue, salsa, rumba flamenco, and bossa nova, as well as reggae and folk. Backup musicians include Dean Jones, Roberto Juan Rodriguez, Ken McGloin, Marianne Tasick, Jason Sarubbi, Charles Frommer, and Rhys Ellis kicking it on guitar, bass, upright bass, violin, wooden flute, keyboards, saxophone, trombone, drums, bongos, and percussion, including maracas, rumba box, marimba, stylophone, and xylophone. “Happy Land” is full of happy smiles, hearts, souls, thoughts, and actions. Several songs teach children the names of things in both languages: “Dias de la Semana,” “Go Go Go,” “Hola,” “Cara Cabeza” (to the tune of “Are You Sleeping”), “Los Instrumentos” (including the sounds of maracas, rumba box, marimba, bongos, flute, xylophone, and stylophone), “Months of the Year,” and “Azul” (with exaggerated rolling of “r’s” on “rojo”). “Pajarito” encourages appreciation for birds, bumblebees, and butterflies. In “Laila,” everyone is invited to a singing and dancing party, accompanied by an outstanding flamenco guitar solo. The melody for “Rock Paper Scissors” is from a traditional Guatemalan children’s song. “How Much I Love You” celebrates the love of parents for their children. “La Lluvia” is happy to fall and make wet the birds in the trees; accompanied by the sounds of chirping birds. “Love” is tender, free, thankful, wonderful, and much more. The singer is “Thankful” for family, friends, children, hugs, and sunshine. Finally, “Little Fish” wants to make a much better world. Many of the songs have energetic, driving rhythms that will make children want to dance around. An outstanding album for the whole family.
Website:  https://miamigohamlet.com/

Lightspeed!

Lightspeed! Performed by The Shazzbots. CD. Approx. 34 min. Label: The Shazzbots. 2019. CD: $12.99; Vinyl: $24.99; Download: $9.99.

Pre-S – Grade 2

Triple Emmy Award winners for a TV pilot in 2016, the Shazzbots (Ian Hummel, Dianne Hummel, Steve Frye, Mike Heslop, and Josh Tully) perform 12 original and energetic rock and country style songs on this 3^rd album. With their songs, they want to inspire the creativity, curiosity, and sense of wonder in children. The outstanding background instruments of guitar, bass, keys, harmonica, drums, and percussion are performed with enthusiasm and professionalism. “On the Playground,” children play on swing set, jungle gym, merry-go-round, monkey bars, see-saw, tunnel slide, hopscotch, and tether-ball. “Beauregard Ogilby Balderdash” is the only 3^rd grader with a handlebar mustache--grown since he was 3. “If You Knew Yuri Like I Know Yuri,” you would know this shelter dog is my very best pal. “I Think I Lost My Dinosaur,” so I go door to door looking for her. The rhythm of a train chugging down the track is captured in “Chuggin’.” If you eat up all the food on your plate, you can join the “Clean Plate Club.” Librarians will especially love the galloping rock rhythm of “Read a Book Today,” which extols all the fun of finding adventures in books. “Something’s Stuck in My Kazoo,” features silly sound FX as a child tries to blow the obstruction out of the kazoo. “My Pa’s Fun Truck” goes rickety rackety rockety rolling along. School is cancelled on a “Snow Day,” so students grab sleds and head up the hill. I’m on a “Gravy Boat,” so I’m smiling, giggling, dancing, and shining. “Very Very Vivian" features gentle piano pop and welcomes a new baby girl. With catchy, toe-tapping melodies and energetic instruments and vocals, this album will appeal to the entire family.
Website: https://www.theshazzbots.com/

We Are One

We Are One. Performed by Animal Farm. CD. Approx. 54 min. Label: Bespectacled Records. 2018. CD: $15; Download: $12.

Pre-S – Gr 4

            Awarded a 2018 NAPPA award, We Are One, the second album from Animal Farm (David Ladon, Seth Adams, Thor Bremer, and Stephanie “Sly” Young), includes 14 fun and energetic songs in various styles of rock, jazz, folk, Klezmer, Afro-pop, Tin Pan Alley, and salsa. In the background, listeners can hear some great instrumentation on guitar, ukulele, bass, violin, piano, organ, saxophone, clarinet, drums, and percussion. In “Snow Bird,” a penguin wishes to travel to warm places such as Bali, Morocco, and Boca Raton. The “Awesome Possum” saves his family from a wolf by dancing. A snail wants everyone to “Slow Down” and enjoy the sights around them. A poor guy has an “Ear Worm” of a song stuck in his head. When one is “Cranky Pants,” then he or she can make animal noises to feel better. If you think you have it bad, “It Could Always Be Worse,” so have an attitude of gratitude. “Totes McGoats” advises listeners not to keep anger bottled up inside, but to let it go. “Paw and Think” gives advice on how to repair relationships. A “Two-Headed Tortoise” has two heads (Mort and Pat) that can’t get along and have problems sharing the same space. “Screen Time” finds several bugs gathered at a screen door, attracted to the light inside. Many strange creatures live in “The Abyss,” but despite the cold and dark, they call it home. A bat is terrified of the dark in “Nocturnal Me.” Seeing trees being chopped down around him, “Monkey See, Monkey Do” is worried because the trees are home to many animals. “We Are One” shows the connectedness of all living things on Planet Earth. Children will enjoy these bouncy, lively animal-inspired songs.
Website: https://animalfarmband.bandcamp.com