Earworm

Earworm. Performed by Sean McCollough. CD. Approx. 44 min. Label: Little Thing Records. 2019. CD: $12; Digital: $7.

K – Gr 5

Host of the Kidstuff Show on Knoxville radio, award-winning Sean wrote and performs 8 of these songs and covers 5 more. He demonstrates his versatility in roots music, including blues, bluegrass, African-American string band, and chant; with some rock, pop, and jazz as well. The excellent backup musicians perform on guitar, banjo, piano, keyboard, lap dulcimer, fiddle, cello, mandolin, upright bass, electric bass, piccolo, trombone, marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, drums, African drums, and percussion. An “Earworm” is a song that is stuck in your head. “All Kinds of Singing” is swell. Molly Ledford of Lunch Money joins Sean in her song about the structure called the “Sunsphere” left over from the 1982 Knoxville Worlds Fair. The alphabet helps people write songs and stories in “ABC (The Writing Song).” In “Don’t Let ‘Em Get Yer Goat,” listeners are advised that it doesn’t matter what others think about you. “Her Name Was Lady” tells about Sean’s childhood pet goats Lady, Pablo, and Jackie (the bully goat). This jazzy minor tune warns listeners about the “Fuzzy Brown Vine (aka Poison Ivy).” Don’t worry about the “Rag Doll” because it is not fragile like a china doll. Sean tells the story of how he used to get “Carsick” on long trips. Billy Jonas gives a command performance on his “bucket kit” percussion about traffic lights in “Green Means Go.” The narrator gives suggestions for fun, from “Let’s Give a Party,” to going fishing or going to the park. The “Kidstuff Theme Song” emphasizes that music makes life better. In “Big Ears,” listeners are encouraged to open their mind, heart, eyes, and ears. A wonderful and quirky album that is fun for the whole family.
Website: http://seanmccollough.com