I tell you, if this video from Steve Weeks for a brand new song of his, "Change of Heart," doesn't put a smile on your face, then I just don't know what to do with you. Once again, a reminder that simple videos -- as long as they're put together competently -- can be very effective.
Picking my favorite kids music videos gets harder every year. I've picked 25 here, but featured at least 3 times that number on the site (a figure which itself is a culling of many more videos). There are another half-dozen videos that easily could have made this list were I to make it, say, tomorrow.
You'll find lots of old standbys here, but also videos from new bands and bands who don't spend nearly as much time with their video editor.
Here, then, are my 25 favorite kids music videos from 2011 (2011 defined roughly as March 1, 2011 - February 29, 2012 -- I'm just assuming nothing else definitively worthy gets released in the next couple days or so). I'm offering up my (ranked) 10 favorite videos, with another 15 (unranked) honorable mentions. [The complete playlist can be viewed at the end of this post.]
Don't get me wrong -- I love's Chris Ballew's DIY videos, finding them models of the form. But his occasional (and ongoing) collaboration with New Zealand's Mukpuddy Animation has already produced a couple fine videos, including this, my favorite of the year.
2. Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - "Blue Bear" [YouTube]
Another near-perfect melding of song and visual style.
Part 1 of my list of this year's Christmas songs for kids was out of date as soon as I hit "publish," because I realized that I'd forgotten Billy Kelly's video from Dear Santa Claus (review). Maybe I was distracted by the mindbending song. Or maybe I was just wondering if this video is Kelly's video resume for applying to direct Paranomal Activity 4: The Christmas Special.
I reviewedRosie Thomas' album A Very Rosie Christmas a few years back -- it's pretty good. (Anyone who can take a Chipmunks song and turn it into something earns lots of bonus points.) Anyway, she's got a new holiday tune out -- I don't think it's quite as good as the 2008 album, but you may like it...
(Or just stream the whole holiday album here.) Speaking of follow-ups to Christmas albums of years past, the Slugs and Bugs holiday album A Slugs and Bugs Christmas (review) has been reissued with a scripture reading and a new song, "Shepherd Dad." No, the song isn't about me (think about it...), it fits in within the religious songs of the disk as part of a production churches can put on using its music. If you're looking for secular Christmas music, this ain't it. But if that's not what you're looking for, I think you'll like this. Listen to it here.
Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke have released some fine holiday music in the past, and this year is no exception. The duo have a couple new songs out. There's "Christmas Time is Here," which actually is a gentle original tune, not a cover of the Vince Guaraldi classic (listen here). And then there's a cover of "Angels We Have Heard on High," which will have you and your kids singing "Gloooooooria" at the top of your classic rock/head-banging voices.
Finally, the socio-political implications of this song from Alastair Moock will go over the heads of younger elementary school students -- it's not a kids' song -- but in the tradition of songs like "The Elf's Lament" by Barenaked Ladies, Moock takes the point of view of Santa's helpers.
Next up in my list of the best kids music of 2011 are my favorite songs. Now, seeing as I listen to literally thousands of kids songs every year, picking out 25 (less than 1%, probably) is very difficult, and if you asked me to make this list up next week I'm sure at least a couple of songs here would be replaced by others. Growing this list to 25 (last year's was 20) didn't make things any easier -- it just shifted the bubble.
But these 25 (listed alphabetically by song title) are definitely among the year's best recordings.
-- The Crocodile Synchronised Swimming Team - Too Many Cookes (Down At The Zoo) -- Dandelion - Steve Weeks (Dandelion) -- Didn't Know What I Was Missing - Alastair Moock/Lori McKenna (Planting Seeds, These Are My Friends) -- listen here -- Freeze Tag - The Not-Its (Tag, You're It!)
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 5:31PM 
I 
