Hello 2017! Let’s Live in Colour
When looking through my social media feeds, it looked like the last week or so of December was spent bemoaning how horrible 2016 was as we continued to deal with the results of the presidential election, what felt like the almost daily deaths of our childhood/teen icons and the normal stresses of the holiday season. I admit that I often found myself quickly empathizing during both in-person and online conversations with this feeling of good riddance to a year that couldn’t end soon enough. But was what I was feeling a true reflection of the year I had just had? All it took was a couple of hours of organizing pictures for my yearly scrapbook to realize that I was wrong. I had actually had a really amazing year during which I was fortunate enough to do many really fun, fantastic things with friends and family that I love.
And that’s what I need to remember as I welcome in 2017. That just as there will be times of sadness, stress and upset, there will also be times of happiness, love and joy. At the beginning of December, I was sent an email with the links to a couple of children’s music videos from Canadian artist, Marlowe & the Mix. I didn’t have time to watch them until this afternoon, but I think I’m going to carry one of the songs, the title track from their newest album, with me as a resolution for the new year. In 2017, rather than wrapping myself in those times of gray, I’m going to try and do as this song says and, “Live in Colour.” I think those are wise words to live by, no matter your age, don’t you?
One of the most recent albums that focuses on kindness and acceptance is the newest release from Lisa Loeb, Feel What U Feel. Chock full of beautiful messages that are wrapped in gentle hugs or disguised in upbeat melodies and lyrics, this album is fantastic from beginning to end. The opening song, “Moon Star Pie (It’s Gonna Be All Right,” sets the tone and leads into “Say Hello” a lovely song about how the simple act of being brave and saying hello, or goodbye, or excuse me can be a great show of kindness. From there listeners fall into the groovin’ title track, “Feel What U Feel,” a duet between Loeb and Craig Robinson (from The Office) that lets children know that all those emotions inside them, both good and not so good, are ok. The catchy chorus, “Guess what? It’s okay!/go on and feel what u feel today/Feel what u feel/what u feel what u feel/what u feel what u feel,” will keep the message fresh in listeners minds. Robinson returns with another positive message regarding emotions on the classic tune, “It’s All Right to Cry,” which first appeared on Free to Be You and Me (1972). There are many other great songs on this album, all of which can be shared in a storytime, classroom, or family setting.
Last week we had the great privilege of hosting Wendy & DB at our library. Back in August I reviewed their album It’s a Doo Da Day for School Library Journal. The album had great empowering messages about being yourself and owning your feelings while at the same time being a lot of fun. At the time, I thought it would be a perfect album for family or classroom listening but didn’t clearly see how to use it in storytime. Then, I saw Wendy & DB perform.
Along with a band of merry music makers, they created their first album, Post Folk Absurdist. This album is filled with fun, wacky, weird songs that will tickle careful listeners. The genres of music switch back and forth and blend throughout the songs, preventing the overall sound from being defined. At first listen, the songs may feel disconnected because of the lack of melodic cohesiveness, but it is in the lyrics where the glue of the album becomes evident. It’s in those words that children will learn that it’s ok if you’re a little weird or different, and who cares what others think. The song titles alone, like “The Platypus and Steve Buscemi,” “Chicken Flap Fly” and “Nightmare on the Kids Menu” will draw children and adults in to find out, “what’s that all about?”