It’s been a while since we’ve had our interns weigh in on
the ever-growing stack of children’s CDs in the Babble office. So for the Music and Video issue, we decided to revive the tradition. Here are intern Emily’s reviews; check back later today for Andrea and Lindsay’s two cents. -The Babble Editors
Jonathan Sprout, American History #3
I was excited to get a US History 101 refresher; instead, I had to study the liner notes to find out exactly which hero each song referred to—“Peanut Man,” and “Doctor” not being clues enough for me. The gender representation is well- balanced, with a lower dead-white-guy quotient than I expected. Some of the lyrics, though, may put off younger listeners who don’t yet know that polio “frightens, and cripples
and kills.”
Peter Alsop,Wha’D’Ya Wanna Do?: Rainy Day Laughter with Little Kids!
Alsop begins on a whiny, nasal-y note with a song about boredom that left me, well, bored. But take heed: the album’s energy builds until you’re chanting ‘I Am a Pizza,’ your toddler
rolling on the floor with laughter.
Ben Rucknick and Friends, A
Frog Named Sam
Creole and Bluegrass-inspired musical interludes mix well with Ben Rudnick’s way with
words and slight Dylan rasp. Thanks to Ben I have a new compliment: “It’s like
a milkshake, when I see your face, I want to drink it up and take it with me.”
Recess Monkey Field Trip
The songs are repetitive to a nerve shattering point. And, while I know that the point of ‘L.I.C.E’ is to inform kids that everybody gets them, this song is disgusting (especially when
the lead vocalist takes on the persona of a militant louse.)
Trout Fishing in America, My Name is Chicken Joe
Nestled into a hardcover book of lyrics and playful illustrations, ‘My Name is Chicken Joe’ is an easy-going children’s folk album that perked me right up. The title song is catchy and
wise, proposing ‘What’s in a name?’ Grown-ups, don’t tune out ‘My Best Day’with the vacuum cleaner, it’s a sweet tune that will re-center you: “Think about a good time that never ends."
Reviews by Emily Frost.
Previously on Babble: Our Childless Intern Reviews Your Kid's Music
Read more from Babble's Music and Video Issue.
