Live in Colour

Live in Colour. Performed by Marlowe and the Mix. Approx. 34 min. Prod. Marlowe and the Mix. $8.00. 2016.

Grades 1-5

Award-winning Marlowe Stone presents 10 high-energy pop songs which encourage kids to move and sing along. She is joined by Rj, Mr. Starr, and the MiX KiDS, all of whom contribute to this blending of Top 40 pop sounds with family-friendly lyrics. “Live in Colour” extols the virtues of dancing and living fully. “Picture Me in NYC” celebrates all the sights and sites of New York City. Sleepover fun is the subject of “Lights Out.” A shy girl dances by herself in the basement in “Music & the Mirror.” “Gemini” is all about astrology signs. The hip hop number “Hi 5” describes life as a roller coaster with ups and downs. “Change is Good,” with the example of a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. A kid is addicted to video games in “Video Game Insane.” The other two songs are “Show Your Glow” and “Allstars Shine On.” Young listeners will groove to these lively songs.

Homespun

Homespun. Performed by The Battersby Duo. Approx. 38 min. Prod. by BatDuo Music Publishing. $10.00. 2016.

Grade 1 and up

Laura and Tim Battersby, aka The Battersby Duo, present 12 original songs in folk, bluegrass, country, rock jug band jazz, and pop musical styles. Special guest musicians Laura Sullivan and Terry a la Berry played piano and drums; other great musicians performed on guitar, fiddle, dobro bass, banjo, clarinet, trumpet, tuba, and cello. A hodgepodge tribute to the Battersby’s family members, this album includes “Homespun,” “Marathon Man,” “Otherwise I Feel Alright,” “Walk Away,” “You Can’t Judge a Book” (don’t judge others by appearance and be kind to one another), “Nobody Like You and Me,” “Apostrophe and the Marks,” “Pearl,” “Freedom,” “Rhymes,” “My Guitar Speaks for Me,” and “For Evermore.” This down-home album will appeal to the whole family.

Post Folk Absurdist

Music CD Review

Post Folk Absurdist. Performed by Funkinships. 2016. Approx. 42 min. $13.99

          Led by Derek McGee and Charlie Chamberlain, this album was partly created aboard the Mystic Whaler on the Hudson River. This silly and humorous album includes hip hop/rap, bluegrass, reggae and blues musical styles. The musicians perform primarily on stringed instruments such as guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and violin. “Sea Legs” encourages listeners to get up and dance along. “The Platypus and Steve Buscemi” describes the unique characteristics of platypuses, eels, penguins and bats. “Kid Van Winkle” will not stop playing his video game, having to beat one more level, as he grows older and older. In “Chicken Flap Fly,” Duke the rooster wants to be the first rooster to fly. In this partly spoken, partly sung story, the chickens eventually receive a postcard from Duke in Mexico who states that flying is the greatest thing in the world, but the walk to the airport was a pain in the tail feathers. “The Great Whale Ball” includes puns and double entendres. The other songs include “A Dragon Tale,” “If You Can’t Sing Well, Sing Loud,” “The Shad and the Eel,” “Nightmare on the Kid’s Menu,” and “Left Foot, Right Foot” which extols the benefits of walking. Both children and parents will enjoy singing along to these fun and lively tunes.

Bucket of Wow!

Music CD Review

Bucket of Wow. Performed by Stephen Michael Schwartz. Approx. 35 min. S-Team Productions. 2016. $12.98

          Award-winning Stephen Schwartz, a member of the children’s band Parachute Express, performs 11 original songs in jazz, pop, show tune, country western, and bluegrass musical styles on this second solo album. Stephen’s vocals are glorious, and the backing musicians make beautiful music on guitar, violin, trombone, clarinet, keyboards, bass, drums, and percussion. “Bucket of Wow” tells about a very happy day. A child encourages his Dad and Mom to leave their daily worries and “Take a Hike.” Schwartz has a conversation with a little girl about her loose tooth, and assures her that it is a sign of growing up in “Losing a Tooth.” A child imagines a world with everything colored differently in “My Rainbow World.” In “The Panda Bear,” a child drinks tea, takes walks, and rides bikes with his imaginary friend. A child feels safe in his “Sanctuary,” which also has Chinese lyrics sung by Lily Yuan. The other songs include “I’m Being Followed by the Moon,” “One Rainbow,” “Going There With You,” “My Baby Tree,” and “The Boo-Boo Song.” A delightful album that the whole family will enjoy. 

When I Was Your Age

Music CD Review


When I Was Your Age. Performed by Nathalia Palis-McLaughlin. Approx. 36 min. Prod. by Nathalia Palis. 2016. $11.80.
PreS-Gr 3—

                                                  

Colombian born Nathalia Palis-McLaughlin performs ten original bilingual songs in Latin, rock and reggae musical styles. Backing up her lovely vocals are excellent musicians performing on guitar, keys, accordion, violin, horns, bass, drums, and percussion. A lively children’s chorus joins in on the songs. “Dinosaur Dance” starts out with jungle sound effects and dinosaur roars, and encourages listeners to move like various dinosaurs. “Senor Opuesto” always does the opposite thing from his friend. In “It’s My Birthday,” a child worries that everyone has forgotten his big day, but a surprise awaits him. Giant ants, monsters and witches are just some of the “Pesadillas” (nightmares) experienced by a child. “Que Llueva” celebrates rain and touches on the water cycle. “When I Grow Up” suggests several career opportunities. “La Iguana Pepa” eats Mom’s flowers, so she chases him with a broom. The remaining songs are “Oh, Math,” “Que Me Dices Tu,” and “Otra Vez.” This album will help both Spanish-speakers and English-speakers learn a little of the other language.

Ora de Despertar

Music CD Review

Ora de Despertar. Performed by Sarah Aroeste. Approx. 25 min. Aroeste  Music. 2016. $9.97.

           Sarah Aroeste performs 10 original songs in rock, funk, blues, pop, and soft lullaby musical styles. The vocal performances are very nice, and the back-up musicians make beautiful music on guitar, bass, upright bass, piano, ukulele, flute, tuba, trombone, drums and percussion. In order to help preserve the Ladino language and culture and pass it on to children, the songs are all sung in Ladino, a dialect of Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews. The accompanying booklet includes the Ladino lyrics and the English translations. In “Ora de Despertar” it is time to wake up, stretch, get dressed and greet one’s family. “Las Komidas” celebrates breakfast, lunch, dinner, but especially dessert. “Kualo Tienes” and Komo Vas a Ser” are lullabies. “Las Manos” names body parts and what each does. In “Kuantos Animales” the listener counts animals on the farm and hears their individual sounds. In “Si Yo Era el Sielo” one imagines being different things, like the sky, a star, or a rainbow. “Nochada Buena” is a going to bed song. The other two songs are “Mi Famiya” and “Saludos.” This is a great album for anyone who wants to learn some Ladino.

Concoctions

Music CD Review

Concoctions. Performed by Dan Crow. Approx. 32 min. Allshouse Music. 2016. $7.99

Award-winning Dan Crow presents five songs to extol the current educational goals of STEM: “Science, Science, Science,” “Technology,” “You’re an Engineer,” “Seven,” and “Franklin D. Dime & Abraham Penny.” The musicians give great vocal and instrumental performances in rock, bluegrass, and jazz musical styles. “Science, Science, Science” includes beeping SF sounds and states that science is for everyone. “Technology” includes various novelty sounds ala Spike Jones, celebrating all sorts of inventions. “You’re an Engineer” explains what engineers do to make life easier and lists different types of engineers. Math is celebrated in “Seven” and “Franklin D. Dime & Abraham Penny” which explains the different money denominations. The five songs are then repeated as karaoke tracks with the instrumentals and backing vocals included. This album would be a good enhancement in classrooms to encourage students in these pursuits.

Lollipop Motel

Lollipop Motel. CD. Performed by Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam. Approx. 40 min. Knock-Knock Records, 2016. Dist. by CDBaby. $12.98.

Grades K-Gr 3

New Jersey-based Jason and Amy Didner perform 11 original songs and cover “Free to Be…You and Me.” Inspired by 70s and 80s rock and pop legends, the songs are in various rock musical styles, some with wailing guitar licks. The various musicians give excellent performances on guitar, keyboards, bass, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harmonica, accordion, guiro, drums, and percussion. “Lollipop Motel” is named after an actual historic motel in North Wildwood, NJ, where the Didners would spend summer vacations, and describes how delighted their daughter was the first time she saw the motel. The album cover is a photo of the Lollipop Motel at night, with a boy’s and girl’s face painted on large lollipop signs. “My Superpower” is kindness. “Jersey Dinosaurs” celebrates hadrosaurs with a Jersey attitude. “Summertime Santa” imagines Santa at the beach—surfing, riding bikes, fishing, and serving ice cream treats. Other song titles include “Your Happy Place,” “Day At the Beach,” “Restless Heart,” “Jam Packed,” “Little Yellow Plane,” “The Ultimate Frisbee,” and “Too Big to Jump on the Bed.” This rockin’ album will appeal to parents as well as children.

Happy Beach

Music CD Review

Happy Beach. Performed by Perry Springman. Produced by Mark Heimermann. 2016. $12.00

Perry Springman's Happy Beach is a lively, wonderful album, which, unlike other secular albums for children, celebrates God in our lives. These ten bouncy songs are performed primarily in various of rock and pop musical styles, which include Latin and Hawaiian flavors. Several of the songs speak of God's having created people, His forgiveness, and our thanking and trusting Him. The various musicians give excellent performances on guitar, ukulele, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, bass, drums, and percussion. Song titles include "Chimichanga," "The 3 Minute Clean-up," "Unh-Uh, No Way," "My Ukulele," "Me and Buddy," "Why Does the World Have Slivers," "Bouncy Bouncy," "Mommy and Daddy," "Happy Beach," and Sleepyhead." Parents and children alike will enjoy this energetic album.

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