Sweet Sounds Chicago
On September 22, the Children’s Music Network’s annual conference begins. Filled with presentations that further the organization’s mission to “celebrate the positive power of music in the lives of children by sharing songs, exchanging ideas and creating community,” this year’s conference promises to be an amazing experience. For the second year in a row, the conference opens with four days of virtual programming before transitioning to an in-person experience in Chicago September 27-29. There is still time to register for the virtual conference, which includes the virtual programs as well as the livestream or recordings of all of the Chicago sessions. Consider registering today – I promise, you won’t regret it!
To celebrate CMN coming to Chicago, I thought now would be a good time to highlight two albums from the Windy City’s children’s music community. First up is Back Home, the second blues album for families from Wendy & DB. This follow-up to their 2023 GRAMMY-nominated Into the Little Blue House is an acoustic triumph, and tribute to a musical genre rarely explored in children’s music. Joined by blues greats Billy Branch, Libby Rae Watson, Ruthie Foster, and Doug McCleod, Back Home is a rich exploration of the rhythms and sounds of the blues. The lyrics and melodies have a unique depth to them while encouraging listeners of all ages to fight injustices, have faith in yourself, and find your joy. Many of the songs in this collection teach important life lessons while shining a light on the stories of icons like Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali while others such as “Put Down the Phone,” “Hemingway the Wonderdog,” and “Move Them Bones” infuse the album with a playfulness that children will enjoy. Back Home will empower and uplift listeners of all ages.
The second album is Rock Together, the debut from the new superduo Birds of a Feather, featuring Chicago’s own Little Miss Ann and Brooklyn’s Suzi Shelton. Rock Together kicks things off with the track “Birds of a Feather” which sets the tone and perfectly encapsulates the friendship between Ann and Suzi with lyrics like, “birds of a feather rock together.” The theme of celebrating and appreciating one another runs through the collection with songs like “City and Country,” the groovy “Our World,” and the folksy “State of Maine.” A veritable who’s who of children’s music joins on tracks throughout the album, but it is Mista Cookie Jar and Ronnie Boy Kids who are given a chance to shine during the fun-filled “Jump Into the Water.” The combination of a variety of musical genres, the sharing of lead vocals, and engaging/entertaining lyrics (see Tough Cat ), makes this an album that the whole family will enjoy.
Most people would agree that there are three types of meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There also is a unique group of people who believe that there is a fourth, very special kind of meal – breakfast-for-dinner. I was raised in a house that was definitely part of that last group of people. Growing up, we had a homecooked dinner Sunday-Wednesday nights, Thursday night was leftovers and Friday was often breakfast-for dinner. When Friday evening rolled around, my mom would get out her griddle and make dunky eggs, bacon, and that delicious breakfasty staple, pancakes. 
Out just in time for Earth Day program planning, HomeEarth by Chicago duo Wendy & DB, is a real treat. The album opens with the title song “HomeEarth,” a fun introduction to the planets and the galaxy, then takes listeners to ground level where the importance of living things is explored. “Olly the Orca,” “Bugs That Give Hugs” and the joy of growing a garden and giving to others in “Plant a Seed” are all given their moment to shine in the sun.
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.