Category Archives: Music

CD Review: Renee & Jeremy, “C’mon”

61I9u16d9eL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]Lullaby albums are like the Christmas records of the kids’ music world — they’re evergreen sellers that don’t really need to be great as long as they conform to a fairly narrow, easily reproduced aesthetic. But like Christmas albums, sometimes a lullaby record comes along that’s really special, and such was the case with Renee & Jeremy’s 2007 debut, It’s a Big World. A magical blend of hushed acoustic instrumentation and beautiful harmonies, It’s a Big World proved that not all children’s albums from pop music refugees are created equal; in fact, sometimes, they even surpass the artists’ “grown up” work.

Two years later, Renee & Jeremy have returned with C’mon, a markedly more uptempo collection that proves the duo isn’t only capable of soothing little ones to sleep. But don’t worry — these songs retain the peaceful warmth of It’s a Big World, thanks to comforting melodies and the soft embrace of Renee & Jeremy’s intertwined voices. It’s a more varied effort, but it doesn’t feel any less cohesive than the first; ballads like “Is It Really Any Wonder” blend seamlessly into peppier tracks like “Mama Papa Love,” and at just a shade over half an hour long, C’mon will reach the final notes of its closing track, “Rely,” long before you’re ready for the album to end. (The solution: hours on repeat.)

C’mon touches on familiar themes such as patience (“Right Now”), sharing (“Share”), and familial love (“Mama Papa Love”), but it does so with uncommon intelligence and grace. In a crowded kids’ music marketplace where hyperactive noise is often overpowering, Renee & Jeremy keep things simple, contemplative, and honest. This album will be a gift for you as much as it is for your children.

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CD Review: Various Artists, “Putumayo Presents A Family Christmas”

616FLxA340L._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]Putumayo’s countless compilations of mall-friendly world music would be eminently mockable even if the company hadn’t been sent up so memorably on Seinfeld, but you’ve got to hand it to them — these folks know how to put together a nifty mix CD. Their umpteenth holiday compilation, A Family Christmas, breaks the label’s strenuously pan-cultural stereotype, instead serving up a tasty souffle of high-quality yuletide music while still managing to stay eclectic enough to include the likes of Martin Sexton, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Leon Redbone.

At 11 tracks and just over 33 minutes in length, A Family Christmas lasts just long enough to down a couple mugs of eggnog, or to string half the lights on your tree — or, really, to play for hours while you cook dinner, wrap presents, or enjoy family time. Only two of these tracks aren’t available anywhere else (Johnny Bregar’s lovely acoustic take on “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and the Brave Combo’s “Jolly Old St.

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Nick”), but if you aren’t the type of person who’s likely to spend the money on, say, Leon Redbone’s Christmas Island — but still wouldn’t mind owning his delightfully droll take on “Let It Snow” — A Family Christmas is a decent value at $13.99. If you’ve already got a huge collection of holiday music, this isn’t anything you need to bother with, but if you’re looking for one Christmas album with enough breadth to please the whole family — and hold up to plenty of repeat plays — you can safely purchase A Family Christmas without reservations.

CD Review: The Hipwaders, “A Kindie Christmas”

61cBL5UbueL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]If you’re one of those people who breaks out in a cold sweat any time the words “Christmas music” are uttered before Thanksgiving, you’re probably not in any hurry to read about this holiday season’s new musical offerings — particularly of the kid-friendly variety — but you needn’t fear A Kindie Christmas, the 10-song yuletide collection from the Hipwaders: Santa puts in plenty of appearances, sure, but the band keeps the sleigh bells and fa-la-las to a minimum, and the whole thing plays essentially like just another new album from the band that gave you Educated Kid and Goodie Bag.

That might sound a little dismissive, but it isn’t: The Hipwaders are “kindie” in the best sense of the word, serving up a brand of family-oriented pop that has its jangly roots in the classic sound of artists like the dB’s and ’80s R.E.M. A Kindie Christmas is ten breezy tracks (just under 24 minutes in total) of hip holiday fun, from the Tex-Mex rumble of “Santa’s Train” to the sweetly melancholy tones of “Tinsel & Lights.” It thankfully lacks the obnoxious, over-caffeinated vibe that a lot of kids’ Christmas tunes have; instead of sounding like a shopping soundtrack, it’s got the warm, mostly mellow sound of a night at home around the fire, but with enough of a spark (particularly on the nifty “It’s Christmas”) to keep the kids dancing around the tree. Continue reading