Albums that Uplift and Inspire
I am so excited by the three albums featured here. Each album is written and performed by a dynamic female artist, sharing messages that will encourage and empower listeners of all ages. In a world that can often feel very heavy, all of the music below will bring a smile to your face and put a spring in your step.
Together performed by Heather Feather
It’s not often that I get to be in the room when a song is born, but that is exactly what happened at the 2024 Children’s Music Network conference when Heather Feather and friends took the stage and performed the beginning seeds of what would become, “Party,” the opening track on Together, Heather’s second album for families. Filled with energy, great beats, and a message about inclusion, “Party” is the perfect song to kick things off. Based in Montreal, Heather is a bilingual performer whose experience as an educator and performer (she has just started a new endeavor as a teaching artist for Prologue Arts) is evident in the social emotional concepts skillfully woven throughout the ten songs in this collection. Each song tells its own story while employing a variety of musical genres. Heather touches on messages of kindness, sharing, caring, and acceptance while emphasizing the ways to deal with different emotions as in “Fill Your Bucket,” about finding happiness, and “The Angry Song” which explores ways to deal with anger. Additional themes include it’s ok to not be a winner as long as you tried your best, the importance of encouraging those around you, as well as the fact that everyone needs to feel important and included. Holding a PhD in music theory, Heather is a gifted songwriter who artfully creates music that engages, while also allowing her beautiful soprano voice to shine. A perfect example of this is the final song on the album, “A Fishy Tale,” a jazzy cumulative tune that would be a fantastic addition to storytimes. Never didactic and always entertaining, Together is an album to be enjoyed by the whole family.
Wonder FULL performed by Dana
Dana is the personification of sunshine. She fills every room she enters with love and joy and does the same thing with her music. Her latest album, Wonder FULL is no exception. Inspired by the seemingly never ending questions that children come up with, each track tackles a different question word (who, what, when, how) and gives some answers. First up is “WHY WHAT WHERE WHO? (30th Anniversary Version)” proving the evergreen nature of the inquisitive minds of the young. From there, Dana channels her inner rock goddess for the electric guitar and drum driven “WHICH (One Will I Choose)” about the struggle to select green vegetables at the grocery store before switching gears and flowing into the flute laden, “WHO (Are My People),” a celebration of family and the ones we love. Also included are songs about having to wait, helping the environment, and the seasons. After asking all the questions, the album concludes with the song, “ANSWERS (Will Come)” a beautiful tune that reassures listeners that they don’t have to have all the answers now, and that learning and discovering is an ongoing part of life. Dana’s versatile voice conveys lyrics that young listeners can relate to while a cadre of talented musicians elevate the sophisticated melodies into songs that adults will want to turn up the volume and jam to.
Herstory performed by Flor Bromley
Known for her bilingual music for families, Flor Bromley takes a different approach to her latest collection, Herstory, a concept album that celebrates women from every continent. The title track anthem sets the tone with a chorus of female voices of all ages proclaiming, “Herstory, herstory, I want to hear her story/Herstory herstory, I want to hear our story.” From there, listeners are treated to songs about brave, talented, smart, incredible women; some who are well known and some that they might be meeting for the first time. Included in the collection are astronaut Emily Calandrelli (North America), author Isabel Allende (South America), Olympic marathon champion Fatuma Roba (Africa), singer Gloria Estefan (Central America), environmental activist Greta Thunberg (Europe), inventor Sahithi Pingali (Asia), explorers Clare Ballantyne, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett and Lucy Bruzzone (Antarctica -penguins!), and politician Louisa Wall (Oceania). The beauty of the album isn’t just in the variety of women that are highlighted, but in the fact that Bromley chose musical genres and styles for each song that matched not just the woman, but the land that she is from. Space pop, salsa, punk rock, African drums, soaring cello, it’s all here, allowing the music to flow from one track to the next connected by the common theme of empowerment. The closing song, “Trailblazing” perfectly bookends the album, leaving listeners with a gentle call to action, imploring them that it is “time to create your story.” Herstory is our story and needs to be shared in the classroom, in the car, at home, and with family and friends.
Let’s get the fun started with Jesse Jukebox Sells Out, the fifth album from 
Next up is a duo that are known for always having a good time and 
Last, but certainly not least, is the silliest, funniest, laugh-out-loudiest album of them all – Slippery When Peeled from Go Banana Go! and Flula Borg. The result of this latest collaboration from comedy music performers Jim Roach and Brian Wecht and German actor/comedian Flula Borg is 10 ridiculous, often absurd tracks that will keep listeners young and old giggling from beginning to end as the story in each song unfolds. The album opens with “
On the surface, 
After exploring the Blues on their last two family albums, Wendy & DB return to their pop roots with Get Your Sunny Side UP. The album kicks off with the title track, featuring Wendy’s powerful vocals, encouraging listeners to start each day with a new, positive attitude. This is followed by the bluesy “I’m in a Mood,” “Never Give Up” starring some ethereal vocals from Pierce Freelon, the bilingual “Ouchie Ya Ya” with Flor Bromley, and “Talk About It,” an important song for children and adults about not just talking to one another, but listening to each other in order to find a middle ground. Wendy & DB continue to celebrate and urge everyone to protect the environment with “Recycling Bins” and “Little Bird/Big World” featuring the incredible vocal stylings of Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. In a departure from their usual vibes, they mix things up with the loud, cacophony that aptly matches tone with subject matter with “Let’s Make a MeSs.” Two tracks that would be perfect in storytime include the love and joy filled “Rainbow in My Heart” which would pair well with ribbons or scarves, and “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” a high octane, fresh take on an old standard. Get Your Sunny Side Up will be a hit with children and adults of all ages. Take a peek at their latest video, “Seymour the Sloth.”
For Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could, life is Sunny Side Up. For 25 years. Rymer’s music has always been imbued with positivity and kindness, and this latest collection is no different. His hallmark pop-rock-folk sound lifts each of the songs up, filling them with happiness and a sense of joy that is underscored by the band’s effortless harmonies. The album opens with the title track, an upbeat tune that emphasizes that every day is a fresh start. The themes of friendship and togetherness are explored on “Me and My Friends” and “The Reason is You” while kindness is the star in “When You’re Kind,” a lovely duet between Rymer and Laurie Berkner. Additional songs celebrate the simple pleasures in life like laundry on the line, a baby bird preparing to fly, and a dandelion in the wind making this album perfect for family listening as we continue our journey from spring into the lazy, hazy days of summer. 
To kick things off, here is “
From defending the Earth to celebrating the Earth, next up is the third album from St. Louis’s own 
Finally, here is a 
As a child, whenever I heard adults use the phrase, “where does the time go?” I always thought, “I don’t know where it goes, but it sure goes slow.” Now, as an adult, I too wonder where the time goes, and why it goes so quickly. It feels like Halloween was just yesterday yet the first day of 2025 is only two weeks away. I had every intention of writing several posts over the course of the past month highlighting various new holiday songs, but alas, best laid plans and all. Instead, here is one bigger post to celebrate the sounds of Christmas. 
Grief has been on a lot of people’s minds lately, mine included. So often it is correlated to the death of a loved one, but among other things, it could also be the result of the loss of a pet, or the end of dreams that will never be realized. I consider myself lucky that while growing up, whenever I was grieving a loss, however big or small, my parents never said, “Don’t cry. Everything will be ok.” Instead they let me cry, or talk, or just be alone for a while.
