Snorkel

Snorkel. Performed by Randy & Dave. CD. Approx.34 min. Produced by Song Wizard Records. 2018. $14.98.

K-Gr 3—

          Award-winning Randy Sharp and Dave Kinnoin present 12 original songs in island, pop, rock, smooth jazz, and mariachi musical styles. The backup musicians give wonderful performances on guitar (acoustic, electric, lap steel, pedal steel), bass, banjo, ukulele (baritone and soprano), keyboard, mandolin, clarinet, drums, and harmonica. In the title song, “Snorkel,” the narrator gears up for the worst with a snorkel for floods, helmet for meteors, anchor in case of a twister, etc. A child blames an absent “Squirrel” for all the destruction in the house. After the narrator describes his great achievements—climbing the highest mountain; flying solo across Atlantic; forming the Beatles band; and winning an Olympic gold medal, he realizes “Oh Wait, That Wasn’t Me.” “Everybody’s Ignorant” because we can’t even imagine what we don’t know. Everything is topsy-turvy on the “Mixed-Up Day.” “Why Not” try something, even though everyone thinks it’s impossible. The rest of the songs include “Absolutely Nowhere to Go,” “Mr. Berschmicker,” “My Little Dog,” “Funny Papers,” “Curly Cat,” and “I Should Have Been Born in Mexico.” A fun and silly album.

Family Photo Album

Family Photo Album. Performed by Recess Monkey. CD.  Produced by Recess Monkey. 2018. $10.00.

Grades— K – Gr 5

            Award-winning Jack Forman, Drew Holloway, and Korum Bischoff (aka Recess Monkey) perform 15 original songs on their 14^th album. Musical styles range from rock and funk to pop and rag time. Guitar, bass, and drums are the only instruments these polished musicians need to accompany their lively, catchy tunes. “Chewy to Your Han” celebrates a friendship between two boys who share a love of Star Wars. “Make It Up As You Go” features improvisational guitarist Mister Noodles. In “Just One More Thing,” a child tries to delay bedtime. And “Not For You” depicts a tricky child, who when he cannot get something from his parents, asks Grandma instead, who always comes through. The other songs include “All My Friends Are Here,” “That Laugh,” “Digging A Hole,” “Together,” “Stickin’ Right By You,” “Sing Your Song,” “Wake Up,” “Blankie,” “Get It All Wrong,” “Hey Puppy,” and “A Seed Doesn’t Know.” This excellent album will be appreciated by the entire family.

Come Together

Come Together. Performed by Jeanie B! CD. Approx.35 min. Produced by JeanieBMusic. 2018. CD: $13.82; Download: $9.49.

Pre-School

The first 14 tracks of the album are original folk songs performed by Jeanie Bratschie accompanied by guitar, bass, rhythm instruments, mandolin, Cajon, and drums. Children join in on some of the songs. These songs include “If I Was an Ant” (or a spider, or bee, or cricket, etc.); “5 Little Pieces of Bubble Gum” (a count down song); “How Do We Play Fair” ( with tips); “Read a Book” to learn things; “Unicorn Song” (all about them); “Marching On My Feet” (parts of the body); “Zim Zamma Zoom” (what animals at the zoo eat); “Mary Had a Little Farm” (animal voices and noises); “How Do You Build a Nest” (how birds build nests); “Please Don’t Pick Your Nose;” “Clap Up High” (participatory movement); “I’m a Little Butterfly” (its life cycle); “Seed In the Ground” (how plants grow); and “While You Were Sleeping” (a lullaby).

The second half of album (tracks 15-28) are transitional songs, accompanied only by guitar. The playlist includes “Let’s Say Hello,” “Time to Wash Hands,” “Come On Over to the Carpet,” “Time To Go Outside,” “The Hallway Is a Quiet Place,” “Get Into a Line,” “Right Hand on the Rail,” “Snack Time,” “Have a Seat on the Floor,” “Voices At Zero,” “Time To Listen,” “Clean Up,” “Firebird Goodbye,” and “Goodbye Friends.”

This is a great album for libraries, day cares, and pre-school classrooms.

I Love Music

I Love Music. Performed by Jeanie B! and the Jelly Beans. Approx. 36 min. Prod. by Rockmom Records. $9.49 download; $15.00 CD. 2018.

Grade PS – Gr 2—

Jeanie Bratschie (aka Jeanie B) performs 14 original songs and 1 set of traditional songs in pop, rock, bluegrass, country, Latin, and folk musical styles. She and the other musicians perform with excellence on guitar, bass, kazoo, rhythm instruments, drums, mandolin, keys, accordion, and Cajon. Song titles include “I Love Music;” a celebration of “French Fried Potatoes;” “Build a Better World” with hammer, saw, drill, hands and heart; “Send Some Peanut Butter My Way” with toast, apples, carrots, etc; “Be a Hero” by helping with chores and helping others; “Summer Is Sunshine” with flowers in bloom, warm breezes, days at the beach and more; “Boing, Boing, Boing;” “Rhythm;” “M-O-M” is love, pretty, funny, smart & more; and traveling with “Abuela.” Jeanie shows how “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star;” “ABC Song;” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep” all have the same traditional melody. The rest of the songs include “Hop on Pop,” “Grandpa’s Hands,” “Lady Liberty,” and “I Dig You.” This playful album will keep youngsters moving and grooving.

Kidz STEM Songz

Kidz STEM Songz. Performed by Dan Crow and others. 2 CDs and 1 DVD. KidzMusic Records. 2018. $12.99 download only.

The first CD is Dan Crow’s Concoctions, which I reviewed 8/29/16. See my review in this blog for details.

The second CD (approximately 50 minutes) includes 16 original songs by a variety of well-known children’s music professionals, such as Grin Brigade, Katherine Dines, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, The Brian Waite Band, Marla Lewis, Hap Palmer, Roger Day, Eric Ode, Billy Harley, and several others. Children’s choruses join in on several of the songs. They perform in a variety of musical styles, including rock, pop, funk, Western, Latin, rap, Chinese folk, and chipmunk voices. The songs are “Weightless,” “It’s Amazing What You Can Do With Your Brain,” “Gato Astronauta,” “Five Cool Cats,” “Sedimentary Rock,” “E=mc²,” “The Abacus” (a story about a competition between an abacus and a calculator; the calculator was faster, but got the wrong answer), “Counting by Twos with the Odd Numbers,” “The Brain Train,” “When I Only Have a Minute” (which takes 1 minute, 3 seconds to sing), “I’m an Engineer” (train engineer, that is), “Poor Planet Pluto,” “Milky Way,” “Thank a Plant” (should be thanking God for creating plants for us instead), “Jump,” and “Botany.” 

Included in the set is a DVD, which has computer animation accompanying “Science, Science, Science,” “Technology,” “You’re an Engineer,” “Seven,” and a bonus track: “Tooth Fairy Take Me Home.”

This is a good, professional album that encourages children to pursue math and the sciences.
Here is a link to the song "Seven": 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ifpAv9-xE 

I Am 4, 5, 6

I Am 4, 5, 6. Performed by Margot Bevington. CD.  Approx. 40 min. Produced by In and Out of the Clouds. 2018. $12.99.

Ages 4 - 6

Bevington presents 12 gentle pop melodies with lovely harmonies. Bevington and her fellow musicians perform beautifully on guitar, piano, bass harp, flute, drums, and percussion. On several songs, she is joined by an enthusiastic children's chorus. The songs are all about using imagination and creativity, and include "From There to Here," "I Saw a Fairy," "Sense to Me," "Storytime," "Make-Believe Zoo," "Invent," "Recycle It With Heart" (making things with recycled materials), "S-Superhero," "Can I Play, Too," "Swinging," "I Am 4, 5, 6," and "Heart, Pencils, and Crayons." These songs will encourage listeners to explore their own imaginations.

The Journey for the Giant Jelly Bean

The Journey for the Giant Jelly Bean. Performed by Jarebear. CD. Approx. 31 min. Produced by Burger Records. 2018. Digital download: $7.00.
Grades K - 3

This journey is a rock musical told in 12 songs in various styles of
rock, including classic rock.  A young boy named Otis learns that a
giant jelly bean exists that could save the city from psychological
depression and just plain meanness. After learning that the giant candy is in a secret hidden cave, Otis gathers a team to go find it. When their way is blocked by the Big Bad Barrel Man, they scare him away with some simple math. They find a key and solve a riddle, and finally find the giant red jelly bean. However, once they bring the jelly bean back to the city, they discover that people depend too much on the candy, and stop working on their problems. So ultimately, Otis has to destroy the jelly bean, making everyone angry.  Song titles include "The Freedom Song," "It's the Giant Jelly Bean," "Gather a Team," "Here We Go," "The Big Bad Barrel Man," "The Secret Key," "The Riddle," "We Got the Jelly Bean," "We Want the Bean," "Destroy It," "I Did the Right Thing,: and "Coming Home." This musical will help young listeners learn that there are no magical solutions to problems.