Share: "Rollin' Baby" - Elizabeth Mitchell

Ahhhh... nothing like a little Elizabeth Mitchell track to take the edge off a cool, crisp fall morning. (What's that? I live in the Arizona desert and "cool, crisp" means about 75 degrees? Shhhh!)

The track is called "Rollin' Baby," and it's a cover of a track from Mitchell's sister-in-law Anna Padgett, who records as The Good Ms. Padgett. "Rollin' Baby" will remind you a little bit of "Who's My Pretty Baby?," very simple and sweet. Even better, it's free for the price of an e-mail (use the widget below).

Padgett, incidentally, has a new album, The Good Ms. Padgett Sings The Little Red Hen and Other Stories, this fall. Her first album had a vibe similar to that of her sister-in-law's, and I'm guessing her second will as well...

(Photo credit: Laura Levine)

Share: Free Music from Justin Roberts, Bloodshot Records, VeggieTales (and more)

Not really sure what Amazon's been thinkin', but somebody last month must have said, "Hey, you know what would be cool? Free kids' music!" And, then, actually followed through on that idea, because now there are a handful of free EPs for the digital downloading, with easily 15 to 20 good songs worth your time.

Justin Roberts leads the pack with his, er, Snack Pack EP, featuring songs from 5 of his albums. You probably have some of these already, but maybe not the earlier songs ("Little Raindrop" or "Billy the Bully"), and if you don't have any of them, then get over there pronto.

The real find in the craziness is Roberts' fellow Chicagoans Bloodshot Records' Fun For All Ages sampler, which includes seven tracks from four fine albums, Songs for Wiggleworms, Wiggleworms Love You, Animal Crackers, and The Bottle Let Me Down. Do not hesitate in picking up this album, the Alejandro Escovedo track is especially lovely.

But that's not all. VeggieTales aren't for everyone (particularly if you're not religious and you're listening to their Bible-based stuff), but their silly secular stuff can be fun no matter your denomination or lack thereof. Their Five Super Silly Songs EP is exactly that; it includes versions of a couple songs that were big hits on Kids Place Live, "The Hairbrush Song" and "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything."

What's that? You want more? How about some Sesame Street? Their Amazon sampler has a more energetic version of "Ladybugs' Picnic" than you might be familiar with (but it's still good) and also features "What's the Name of that Song?"

You can also pick up an EP from the Wiggles as well as a Cedarmont collection and a sampler from a Rockabye Baby-style knockoff called "Cradle Rock." Not my thing, those last two, but your mileage may vary.

Share: "Back Home" - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

It just premiered on Sirius-XM's Kids Place Live, and now you can have it for your very own. Yes, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo world-premiered "Back Home," another slice of kid-hop, this afternoon, but you can download it for free. Perfect for all those kids heading off to a new school...

Skidoo is in the studio now recording his third album, scheduled for release in spring 2012. He has not lost his touch...

Share: "Hug War" / "Hovercraft Full of Eels" - Space Balloons

A couple months back, I introduced you to Space Balloons, the kids music side project of Boston musicians Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola. If you liked the original set of tunes, I think you'll find this new single (and b-side) just as appealing. You've got "Hug War," and then you've got my favorite song title in quite some time, "Hovercraft Full of Eels." Seriously, aren't you just required to download that? Anyway, it's free to download (or stream) via the lovely widget below.

Share: The Littlest Star - Meadows

Last week I told you about The Littlest Star, the first album from Meadows. Meadows is a side project from married (and parental) musicians Keith and Hollie Kenniff. I thought it was a solid album of traditional songs tweaked juuuust enough to make them listenable on repeat, plus a few originals. And I compared them to Elizabeth Mitchell. Positively.

So when Keith asked if I'd be interested in sharing The Littlest Star with you, dear readers, I said, you bet! (Note: I probably didn't actually use the phrase "you bet!," as I don't think I've said that for decades now.) So if you'd like to download the album for free (yes, for free), just click yourself over here and download the zip file. But hurry, as this free download won't be available for very long.