Category Archives: Music

CD Review: Debbie and Friends, “More Story Songs and Sing Alongs”

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Debbie’s back, she’s brought her Friends, and she has More Story Songs and Sing Alongs!

If you listened to the first volume, or if you’ve caught Debbie at one of her many well-received concerts over the last few years, you know what to expect — catchy, positive tunes, delivered with the same strong lines and bright colors you see in the album artwork.

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Debbie kicks off the new album with a song titled “So, So Happy,” and that about sums it up — this is cheerful music, focused on the best things about family, love, and growing up. Subjects include making silly faces for the camera (“Willy Won’t”), sports (“Home Run Ronnie”), achieving goals (“I Think I Can”), and friendship (“Until Next Time”), with a round of Simon Says thrown in for good measure (um, “Simon Says”).

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There’s even a dance track (“Little Red Remix”) and a duet with the James Brown of kids’ music, Bob McGrath.

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What else do you want?

Like the first volume, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs is slickly produced, with a bright polish to go with the smartly crafted arrangements (credits in the liner notes include everything from banjo to strings, brass, and a children’s choir). As far as kids’ music goes, it’s pretty much the polar opposite of recent rootsy discs from the likes of Dean Jones or Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, and it’s more narrowly focused, too — Debbie’s music is aimed at the pre-K demographic, and perhaps unlike those other artists, your mileage may vary with the older kids in your family. But for the little ones who just want a little primary color fun, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs is just about perfect — 33 minutes of sunshine and dancing. Watch this video for “Home Run Ronnie” and see if you don’t agree.

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CD Review: Flannery Brothers, “Move Over Lullabies…It’s Time for Wake Up Songs!”

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The Flannery Brothers’ debut CD, Love Songs for Silly Things, was a big hit in our house last year, and when I heard they had another disc on the way, I was filled with the kind of anticipation I don’t normally feel for Dadnabbit assignments. I mean, hey, I love kids’ music as much as the next guy, but if I get an e-mail telling me I have a new children’s CD on the way and something new from, say, K’naan or David Byrne…well, the kids’ stuff can wait.

But as soon as I received my copy of Move Over Lullabies…It’s Time for Wake Up Songs!, I tore off the plastic and put the disc in the CD tray. With the Flannery Brothers performing the songs, and a title like that, how can you go wrong?

Answer: You can’t. Wake Up Songs is very short — the whole thing is over in about 15 minutes — but as advertised, it’s a great way to start the day. Acoustic guitars, electric piano, and those Flannery harmonies come beaming out of the speakers, exhorting you to wake up, splash some water on your face, hop on your bike, and move your arms and legs.

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(Good advice for parents as well as children.

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) Nine times out of ten, a record like this would be stuffed with annoying, Spongebob-style hyper energy, but these are just fun, uptempo songs, warm and organic, and perfect for a dash of silly fun in the morning.

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Play it while you’re making breakfast for your little ones — twice in a row, even — and start looking forward to the Flannery Brothers’ next full-length, already in the works.

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CD Review: The Rubinoos, “Biff-Boff-Boing!”

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Here, power pop fans, is what They Might Be Giants hath wrought.

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The Rubinoos have been around for decades, making solid records to tons of critical acclaim and little in the way of sales — a situation not unlike the one TMBG found themselves in when they decided to make the jump to the kids’ market, a.k.a. “paydirt.” This is not to say the Rubinoos’ debut children’s CD, Biff-Boff-Boing!, is a crass, commercially oriented move — just that, like TMBG, the Rubinoos are so ideally suited to younger audiences that you can’t help but wonder why it took them so long to get here.

The Rubinoos have always occupied a spot on the more candy-coated end of the power pop spectrum, so they’re a more natural fit than, say, Cheap Trick; their music has never had much of an “adult” edge anyway. (This is, after all, the group that recorded “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.”) What this means for Biff-Boff-Boing! is that it doesn’t always feel appreciably different from anything else in the band’s catalog — and that’s a compliment. For instance, the opening track is a kazoo-and-children’s-choir-assisted cover of “Witch Doctor” that’s all kinds of awesome, because the band consists of seasoned professionals who both know how to play and have a deep understanding of this type of music. They aren’t playing it because it’s silly and they think that’s what kids will like; they’re playing it because this is what takes them back to their own childhoods, and it’s fun for them. It’s a crucial difference — it’s why Boing! includes covers of “Sugar Sugar,” “Peanut Butter,” and “Boris the Spider” (along with the more obscure but still terrific “Rockin’ in the Jungle”), and it’s why those covers are fun instead of obnoxious. These guys get it.

Of course, it isn’t like “it” is rocket science; that’s part of what makes so much children’s music such a drag — too many performers waste time pandering when all they need to do is play music that anyone can enjoy. They may throw in a few too many silly voices for your liking, but for the most part, “music anyone can enjoy” is exactly what the Rubinoos serve up here.

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If you’re a longtime fan of the band, Biff-Boff-Boing! is the perfect gateway for your little ones. Six months from now, play ’em the band’s first two ’70s records; for now, shake the car with a family dance to “Dumb It Down” and “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd.”

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