Review In Brief: Close Your Eyes - Josephine Cameron

Josephine Cameron's 2005 release Close Your Eyes isn't really a kids' music album, but at its core it's an album of lullabies both traditional and original, and that's enough to a merit a review here. Based in Maine, singer-songwriter Cameron has a winsome voice reminiscent of Susanna Hoffs -- it's not my perfect voice for lullabies, but Cameron's phrasing and the understated jazzy instrumentals (piano, a little guitar, occasional drums) serve the songs nicely. The CD starts out a bit too loud and emphatic for proper lullabying, though Cameron's duet with Anna Vodicka on a medley of All Night All Day/Swing Low (Sweet Chariot) is enjoyable nonetheless. Starting with track #5, "Dream a Little Dream," however, Cameron puts together a mellow set of melodies, concluding with a lovely wordless "Lullaby" (co-written by Cameron and her producer Anthony Walton). (You can here clips of most tracks here and of the title track here.) Close Your Eyes is a nice choice and recommended for listeners seeking a lullabies album that avoids the standard fare and arrangements.

Songs For Dad

(Revised June 16, 2006)

While there are a few songs for moms, the list of songs for fathers is pretty short. So short, I considered putting Rankin' Don's "Father Goose" songs from Dan Zanes & Friends albums on the list. While fathers are sometimes characters in kids' music (the RTTs' "April 14th," Keith Munslow's "Accidentally"), they're rarely the subject. Here, then, is the short list -- if you have additions, please note them in the comments.

-- "Daddy-O," off Frances England's Fascinating Creatures
-- "My Dad!," off Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band's Kaleidoscope Songs, Vol 1
-- "Cat's in the Cradle," Harry Chapin (just kidding!)
-- "I'm So Glad To Be A Dad," off Dennis Caraher's Bow Wow Baby
-- "My Daddy Is Scratchy," off Jamie Broza's My Daddy Is Scratchy (thanks to Fran for the reminder)
-- "My Daddy (Flies a Ship in the Sky)," off the Daddy-O! Daddy Woody Guthrie tribute
-- "Courtship of Eddie's Father" (see comments)
-- "Dad" by Father Goose (comments)
-- "Thank you, Daddy" (comments)
-- "The Coffee Song," by Ralph's World, off At The Bottom of the Sea. (Yeah, I used it for the mom's list, but a reader reminded me it mentions D...A...D.D.Y.)

A reader also recommended Daddies Sing GoodNight: A Fathers' Collection of Sleepytime Songs, which isn't really a collection of songs about dads, but close enough...

And, a few for the adults (from commenters and e-mailers)...

-- "My Dad (My Pa)" by Nancy Sinatra
-- "Bein' a Dad" by Loudon Wainwright III
-- "The Kids Are Alright" by The Who
-- "Slow Turnin," "Your Dad Did," and "Stolen Moments" - John Hiatt
-- "Still Fighting It," Ben Folds ("You're so much like me / I'm sorry.")

Review: Accidentally (on purpose) - Keith Munslow

The Rhode Island School of Design may be known for many things, but musically it may be most known nationally for being the incubator of the Talking Heads. On a smaller scale, however, perhaps it should also be known for Keith Munslow. Munslow, who has taught in RISD's Young Artist Program, released his third album for kids, Accidentally (on purpose), in 2005, and while there's nothing remotely resembling, say, "I Zimbra" on the disk, it's still a well-crafted album of children's music.

Munslow employs a wide variety of musical styles on the disk. Perhaps the best track is "Bad Robot," a swampy, bluesy stomp about a robot rampaging through the neighborhood (sort of). With a winning melody and a horn section (not to mention great lyrics and), the song works for both the 7-year-old and the adults in the car. (The dryly witty sound effects at the very end show the care taken to put this album together.) Beyond the blues, Munslow employs the polka ("Absentee Polka"), swing ("Dancin' in the Kitchen"), and even a touch of Randy Newman-esque pop, but without the cynical view of the world ("Cardboard Box"), among other styles. Munslow and his large cast of backup musicians give his lyrics a fine, well-played setting.

Lyrically, Munslow likes to tell stories. If you're reminded a little bit of Bill Harley (I was), it's not surprising to find out that Munslow and Harley have collaborated on a number of projects in the past. The title track, which leads off the album, includes some amusing couplets ("I accidentally tracked that mud in/ accidentally pushed my cousin / accidentally clogged the drain /accidentally called up Spain") but also crafts a small comeuppance for the narrator. A number of songs deal with imagination, both positively ("Cardboard Box" and "I Just Wanna Be a Frog") and, er, less so ("Bad Robot").

Kids ages 4 through 9 will most appreciate the overall package of the songs (the music is appropriate for a broader audience, it's the lyrics that won't interest the youngest ones very much). You can hear samples and read the lyrics from the 29-minute album here. The album is available through Munslow's store, CDBaby, and the iTunes Music Store.

While the album isn't perfect throughout, that's probably just because the first three or four songs are so strong that the merely good songs on the rest of the disk just don't quite compare. But overall Accidentally (on purpose) is a fine, well-crafted album of creative children's pop. Recommended.

Yeah, I Liked Catch That Train! Too

Wow, you go from reading Dan Zanes' newsletters to finding yourself quoted (or at least linked) in Dan Zanes newsletters. It's enough to make you a little dizzy. (Thanks to the fine folks at Festival Five for the mention.)

If you're one of those newsletter readers, and you're new to the site, welcome. You'll find a lot of other artists here who are making a career out of making family-friendly (or, as Zanes puts it, "age-desegregated") music. Zanes is pretty unique, but if you like his stuff (and I certainly do), you're certain to find another artist or blogger you'll enjoy (if you haven't already).

For those of you not on the DZ e-mail list, two things:
1. Why not? (Go here and enter your e-mail address to join.)
2. The newsletter posts a link to where you can watch video clips of the 4 videos currently showing on Playhouse Disney. (Catch That Train!, Let's Shake, Malti, and Down in the Valley)

(Congrats, too, to the Lovely Mrs. Davis for the linkage as well.)

Reader Review: Songs from the Hebrew Scriptures / New Testament - Why Not Sea Monsters?

One of Zooglobble's West Coast readers, Katy, was inspired by my review of the two Why Not Sea Monsters? albums (featuring Justin Roberts and Liam Davis) to provide her own view of the albums. Her spiritual background (much stronger than mine, as you'll see) makes for a slightly different perspective on the disks. And while I don't envision making reader reviews a common occurrence here (though y'all are welcome to do so in the comments), I thought this review merited its own post.

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As a minister in the United Church of Christ as well as mother to two girls (5 and 7 ½) who are big Justin Roberts fans, I wasn’t sure at first what to make of these scripture-based CDs. Until I listened to them. And then I was completely sold. First off, I should confess that I describe myself as a liberal/progressive Christian (yes, we do exist!), so it’s hard for folks like me to find scripture-based material that’s fun to listen to and at the same time consistent with the message we want to teach our kids. As a rule, I tend to be leery of contemporary Christian music because I find it is often poorly done musically, or it’s bad theology, or both. With a Master’s Degree from University of Chicago Divinity School (the “Harvard” of U.S. theological schools), Justin Roberts has done his homework here. His music makes the texts accessible and theologically sound to my way of hearing, without dumbing them down.

I find the Hebrew Scriptures CD is somewhat more enjoyable than the New Testament. I tend to turn toward this CD more often, but more because of the music than the texts they’re based upon. I love his take on the story of Noah’s Ark on “Make That Two.” And the lyrics to “No Spring Chicken,” in reference to the story of Abraham, are beautiful (“But love is longer than the Nile/lift your eyes to the stars above/And watch them as they burst and bloom with love.”). Finally, his and Liam Davis’s version of Craig Wright’s song, “Where Were You?” from the Book of Job, is stunning. It always sends chills down my spine. Having said that, I find the line, “Imagine towers wreathed with smoke” jarring because I can’t help thinking of 9/11. Still, the overall mood of the song more than makes up for that one line.

As for the New Testament CD, it contains so many of my favorite gospel stories that emphasize Jesus’ message of love and inclusion, that I really like it too (the Prodigal Son in “Now You’re Back,” the Banquet of Heaven in “Guess Who’s”, the Good Samaritan in “Not Today”). There’s also the story of Zacchaeus in “What’s He Doing Up There?” As a tax collector, Zacchaeus would have been ‘persona non grata’ in the culture of the time since he served the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, Jesus sees his faith and invites him to a meal, which completely challenged contemporary views on socially acceptable behavior (Jesus did a lot of that). I also really love “Shh Shh Shh”, about Mary and Martha, and “Rub-a-dub-a-dub-dub.” I never would have thought to put the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet to a reggae beat with a kazoo orchestra—but it totally works. Roberts and Davis infuse all these stories with so much new life and humor that I hear them in a whole new way. That’s no small task. And I really appreciate the inclusion of biblical women in both CDs (Lydia, Ruth, Mary and Martha, Sarah, etc.).

Another benefit of these CDs is that they have led my daughters to ask me, on many occasions, “Mommy, tell me about this story…” As a result of these CDs, we have had many more discussions about God’s love, serving the poor, including people who are often left out, etc., than we would have otherwise. It’s really nice to have some good music between Sundays to back up the values we want to live by as a family. I will definitely be using these CDs in our Sunday School program, and I am telling friends and colleagues in other churches about them too.