Calling All Elephants

Music CD Review

Calling All Elephants. Performed by Randy Sharp and Dave Kinnoin. Song Wizard Records, 2015. $14.98. songwizard.com/randyanddave
Ages 5-10

Randy and Dave have put together an upbeat, and sometimes silly album of twelve original tunes, performed in pop, rock, and jazz musical styles. "Last Word" has fun with compound nouns, producing absurdly silly images such as a man who doesn't have a head- (pause) band, and who is having trouble cutting off his toe- (pause) nail. One character has to "Hum" because he mixed up the toothpaste and glue and has glued his lips together. "Woke Up Cranky" is a great song about a little brother who gets up on the wrong side of the bed. Duke and Deb star in "Good Day for Spiders" and tells of all the bugs they like to eat. Miriam's recital takes a turn for the worse as something nasty lands on one of the piano keys, and she tries to transpose the music in order to avoid the key with not a lot of success in "Miriam's Muse." The other songs include "Puzzle," "Squish It Up," "Calling All the Elephants," "Counting One, Two, Three," "I'm Special," "Never Ever, and "Acting Like a Baby." Kids will get a kick out of these funny songs.

Classic Songs & Traditional Tunes

Music CD Review

Classic Songs & Traditional Tunes. Performed by Andy Z.  Andyland Music. 2015. $14.98
Ages 4 up

Andreas G. Zamenes, aka Andy Z, has put together a magnificent collection of 15 songs. His spot-on energetic and enthusiastic vocals do great justice to these songs, performed in folk, bluegrass, and country western musical styles. Andy and his guest musicians back up the arrangements with various guitars, bass, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, hammered dulcimer, accordion, clarinet, trombone, and drums. One of Andy's goals with this anthology was to use true-to-genre instrumentation and restored lyrics that are not often heard on some of the songs. This musical treasure includes songs that every American child should be familiar with:
"This Land is Your Land," "Shake A Friend's Hand," "I've Been Workin' On the Railroad," "All Around the Kitchen," "Shake My Sillies Out," "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "Oh My Darlin' Clementine," "Turkey in the Straw," "Don't Fence Me In," "You Are My Sunshine," "The Hokey Pokey," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," "Oh Susanna," and "Happy Trails." The CD is accompanied by a booklet with all the lyrics. This is a great collection for libraries, schools, and homes.