Month: September 2017

Mundo Verde/Green World performed by Mister G

Librarians, Parents, Teachers, Uncategorized

Mister G won the 2015 Best Children’s Album Latin GRAMMY for Los Animales and his latest album Mundo Verde/Green World should land him on the short list of nominees once again. From the first notes of the title track to the last dulcet tones of this almost 30-minute journey, the over-arching theme of protecting all the wonders of our Earth is lovingly explored.

The first few songs of the album are filled with fast-paced Latin beats that will get listeners up and dancing while also talking about important issues such as the water that our planet is made of, recycling and the wide variety of animals who deserve our protection and concern. The music – featuring such performers as Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, Peruvian bassist Oscar Stagnaro, Brazilian vocalist Mari Nobre and Cuban vocalist Estrella Acosta – goes full tilt with songs such as “Patas en el Aire/Paws in the Air” and “El Coqui/The Frog,” then strikes a quieter note with songs like “Cuantos Peces/How Many Fish,” the Carlos Santana inspired “Si Se Puede/Yes We Can,” and the lush instrumentation and vocals of “Las Estrellas.”

Mundo Verde/Green World is a bilingual album from start to finish. Mister G and his many guests seamlessly transition between Spanish and English both during the interludes between the songs as well as within the songs themselves. Enough of each language is spoken or sung so that no matter the native tongue of the listeners, they will still get the gist of the lyrics and enjoy each tune. This album could easily be used in the classroom, in storytimes or for family listening. Pure joy from beginning to end!

Take a peek below…

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Life on a Trampoline performed by Randy & Dave

Librarians, Parents, Teachers, Uncategorized

I have to admit, I’m really digging the trend of the story song. And singer/songwriters Randy Sharp and Dave Kinnoin are experts at it. On their second album together, Life on a Trampoline, they tell such quirky stories such as ” Enjoy It While You Can” about a family who works in a cannery, “Last Time I Was Here” about a good-natured child who accidentally causes some pretty big mishaps and “A Weird Thing Happened” about the strange experience a child has when his ball goes over the fence.

Many of the songs on the album are silly ones, but others like the fantastic “Squadoosh” and “We Don’t Share” go a little deeper. “Squadoosh” is the perfect song to share with children who are afraid of the dark or convinced that a scary monster is hiding in their closet. In this song, the child’s fears are put to rest when the light is turned on because Squadoosh is an entirely different kind of monster. “Zilch, zip, zero-nada’s all he’s made of. He’s nothin’, and nothin’s nothin’ to be afraid of at all.” In “We Don’t Share” the child tells her sibling/friend about all the wonderful things that might be missed out on in the future because the friend won’t share things like a big piece of pie or the remote with her.

All twelve songs on this album are engaging with songs like “Semolina” being a good jumping off point for discussions about nutrition, foods from around the world or a story starter about inanimate things. Containing a mash-up of musical genres, multi-layered lyrics and sophisticated instrumentation, Life on a Trampoline is a delight that listeners young and old will want to hear again and again.

**Note for all you musicians out there, the liner notes to Life on a Trampoline contain all of the lyrics AND chord charts for each song.

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New Albums from Old Friends

Librarians, Parents, Teachers, Uncategorized

Several albums were released over the busy summer months by some of our favorite artists. Here are just a few that everyone should have in their collections.

Camp Songs performed by Ella Jenkins & Friends (released June 23)
It’s hard to believe, but Ella Jenkins, the grande dame of children’s music, has been recording music with Smithsonian Folkways for 60 years. Recording camp songs is something that she had wanted to do for over a decade so when her voice wasn’t strong enough to take the lead on the 25 songs chosen for this album, she enlisted the help of the children and parents from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music along with Kate and Tony Seeger to bring each song to fruition. The result is a rich compilation of folk songs, sing-alongs, nonsense songs and rounds capturing America’s diversity.

 

Time Machine Guitar performed by Ralph’s World (released August 4)

Ralph Covert’s latest Ralph’s World album is a raucous voyage through time that provides fun history lessons about such subjects as Ben Franklin, King Tut and Christopher Columbus. A 1960s/1970s rock treatment is given to many of the songs while others get a jazz or Latin music flair.

 

 

Lead Belly, Baby! performed by Dan Zanes and Friends (released August 25) 

This introduction to the music of the incomparable Lead Belly is presented by Zanes and a whole host of guests including Father Goose, Sonia De Los Santos, Elena Moon Park, Aloe Blacc and Chuck D. The fifteen folk songs are given a modern twist making them easily accessible to today’s audiences.

 

 

Laurie Berkner: The Dance Remixes performed by Laurie Berkner (release September 22)

This collection presents 14 of Berkner’s classic songs such as “We Are the Dinosaurs,” “Bumblebee,” and “Telephone” in a way that listeners have never heard them before. Each of the songs is given an EDM makeover that will really appeal to older children who want to listen to “grown-up” music but aren’t quite ready for grown-up lyrics.

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