I love music. I should say, I love good music. So in coming to parenthood I discovered a whole new layer of musical crap I never knew, or cared to know, existed. Unfortunately it is practically unavoidable. It is the soundtrack to our children’s early years. It gets played over intercoms at children’s events. Grandparents buy it as a gift from the Wal Mart discount bin. Animatronic rats sing it at birthday parties while we’re eating pizza. I’m guessing that much like the children’s lit market, every second rate musician thinks they have a children’s CD in them to spring upon the world. The problem is most confuse “children” with “simple”. I have no desire to hear another song by a theater major hack singing about smiles and rainbows. I’m not asking for adult music about relationships or satan here. Just some good tunes and smart lyrics that say the same things I would say to my children. Is this asking too much?
Well, after wading through the sludge, here are two CDs I can recommend to pull you through. Children bond to them and parents will want to hear them again. Let’s hear your favorites too.
Ralph’s World: At the Bottom of the Sea
Ralph’s World is the creation of Ralph Covert: indie rocker, songwriter, playwright, and children’s book author. He’s taken the same high-energy and super-melodic sense that he developed for his touring pop-rock band The Bad Examples to family music- basically only the lyrics are changed for the ears of the innocent. His McCartneyesque style (both musically and his sense of charm) has won him hundreds of thousands of three-feet-and-under fans and their parents. At the Bottom of the Sea is my personal favorite.
For details and pricing click here.
Jack Johnson: Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies from the Film Curious George
Former pro surfer turned singer-songwriter Jack Johnson is a native of Hawaii, and his music reflects the laid back surfer attitude and crystal clarity of the water. Sweet, simple, acoustic surfer-rock is Johnson’s specialty and each of his five studio albums have found an increasing audience.
Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies sold more than 150,000 copies in its first week and was the first of Johnson’s albums to reach No.1. For details and pricing click here.
Now, the ultimate children’s CD has yet to be burned. Sesame Street has had some of the greatest guest musicians appear on their show over the past forty years, but has not yet released a compilation of these artists. Johnny Cash, Elton John, REM, Feist, James Taylor, Aaron Nevil, Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Paul Simon and Billy Joel, to name a few. I’d be outside Best Buy with a sleeping bag and cold fast food for this one. For a taste, check out this vintage Sesame Street performance:
