Itty-Bitty Review: Musical Farm - Biscuit Brothers

Austin's Biscuit Brothers are TV's greatest kids music secret. OK, Dusty and Buford Biscuit aren't a huge secret in Texas, but these guys deserve a larger stage. In the meantime, we'll content ourselves with another album from the Brothers, Musical Farm.

Released last summer, it's another stellar collection of familiar and slightly less traditional songs with snazzy arrangements, along with some originals, all from the Brothers' Emmy-award-winning TV show. If you have the DVDs at home, you may find yourself a bit tired of some of the tracks ("'This Old Man' again?"), but they're all solid. I'm always a big fan of Tiny Scarecrow, and this album features our family's favorite TS track, the duet with Buttermilk Biscuit on "I Am Singing Softly," which manages to be simultaneously educational, hysterical, and sweet. (New to me, but also amusing, is Tiny's "Continental Tango.") As always, the production, singing, and playing are top-notch; as you might expect from folks who work on "Old MacDonald's Farm," Americana is the most commonly heard genre, but you can also hear some rock, Latin, ragtime, and organ-based pop-rock ("Polly Wolly Doodle").

The album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7, though since these are mostly traditional tunes, that's pretty flexible. You can listen to soundclips here. While nothing's a substitute for their TV work, and the album will probably hold the most interest for fans of the show, Musical Farm is also a fine collection of tunes in their own right, no TV required. Recommended.