"Will someone please think of the children" is one of the most repeated lines from The Simpsons, just behind, "I sleep in a drawer" (OK, that might just be a personal favorite). A ton of local musicians have, in fact, thought of the children, resulting in Isn't It a Wonder, a 24-track CD of (mostly) original kids' songs performed by artists from the local Folk/Acoustic scene.
The immaculately-produced collection was compiled by The Ceilidh Group and its new Little Bird Music offshoot. The proceeds from sales will be donated to kid-appropriate orgs like the Literary Network of Greater Cincinnati, The Ronald McDonald House, The Cincinnati Children's Choir and Little Bird (to help with future endeavors).
Two CD release events take place this weekend. On Saturday at 1 p.m., the Blue Manatee Bookstore in Oakley hosts a release party featuring Jake Speed, Joanie Whittaker, Dave Hawkins, Tim Kelly, Kerry Neff & Kids, Papa Joe Kretschmer and Prudence Hunt & The Homemade Jam Band. On Sunday, The Sweeneys (whose band members include Tim Kelly and Prudence Hunt from the project) perform at Findlay Market from 10 a.m. until noon.
I've become a bit of a children's music expert in the past few years, thanks to raising a now 4-year-old. My daughter loves music — I swear she sounds like Patti Smith sometimes when she starts banging on the piano and making up stream-of-conscious lyrics. I might have the next Hannah Montana on my hands, but Iâve been doing my best to keep her listening to above-the-lowest common denominator music. She loves the old Smithsonian Folkways collections (with people like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger), They Might Be Giants and Joanie Whittaker. Blissfully, she has never had much use for Barney.
Kids music can be as diverse as "grown up" music, but obviously the lyrical content tends to fall more towards the simplistic or silly side of things. Much is made of kids music that is "adult friendly," mostly meaning its not annoying enough to make you wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and muttering the hooks from The Wiggles' greatest hits like a mental patient. Isn't It a Wonder falls in the "grown-up accommodating" category.
Lyrically, the CD is way above what is offered in most children's music. By utilizing singer/songwriters known for their solid lyrical writing, it's practically a given. But sometimes the poetics on the album seem likely to fly over the heads of most kids under 5. Still, musically, the album is heavy on gentler acoustic numbers, so regardless of what is being sung, the vibe is largely sleepy and soothing. Nancy Bick Clark's gorgeous "G.B.'s Lullaby" is a lovely slice of dreaminess that might knock out parents and kids alike (and I mean that in the best way possible; anyone with a 0-1-year-old will get that).
There isn't really a "bad" track on the album, but some do stand above the "coffeehouse singer" fray. Sharon Udoh and Jen Wheatley use a snappy, straight-forward melody on "Little Things," which, combined with the barrelhouse piano rolls, makes for a cute and charming gem. Chris Haubner's "Bird Cave" occasionally uses words above most little ones' grasp of vocabulary and it wouldn't be out of place on a grown-up album (like one from Haubner's Indie Folk duo, The Sheds). Still, it's one of the better cuts on the album (not taking into account the kid-likeability factor, though can a little vocab lesson be a bad thing?).
Something the album is a little short on is playfulness, another key for any kids' record that's not just a collection of lullabies. Tim Kelly gets it right on the swingin' "Dudettes," a daddy's ode to his own children with a fun doo-woppy background vocals. Jake Speed gets the silly factor down right away — can you go wrong with a slide whistle and kazoo? — bringing his usual clever, funny wordplay to a genre he seems almost tailor-made for (Jake, how about a full-length kids CD?). It's a bit of Jabberwocky, as Jake makes pig and fart noises and mentions boogers and going to the "zoo-ga-lee-zoo."
Papa Joe Kretschmer offers the hilarious "Cow Song," sung in a lackadaisical voice from the cow's point of view. Joel Cathamer amps up the energy and silly levels with the bluesy stomp of "Bobby's Been Bad But Wanda's Been Worse," a previously-released track that takes a Cat in the Hat-like story of misbehavior and gives it a juke-joint overhaul. And Dave Hawkins' "Tooth Fairy" uses the ol' kazoo solo to drive his ode to the joys of getting cash for old teeth.
While there are a few down moments where the energy level seems stuck on beddy-bye-time a little too long, the collection as a whole is brilliant and would make a great addition to the CD collections of parents of small children (I would reckon it's aimed at the newborn-to-8-year-old range, before the kids start listening to slicked-up Pop). It would also make for a slam-dunk baby shower gift.
I've yet to give this disc a test drive with my wee princess, but, knowing her tastes, I think she'd give it a solid "B." Hey, she's a harsher critic than I'll ever be!
— Mike Breen
Thanks to everyone who came out to the CD Release party. We had a great time and raised money for some great children's charities.
Posted by: Prudence Hunt | May 18, 2008 at 05:09 PM
It wouldn't be all bad to have the next Hannah Montana on my hands, as she's clearly one of the most popular performers around today (and definitely one of the most marketed, judging from my last trip to Walmart.)
Posted by: Miley Cyrus Fan | August 01, 2008 at 11:42 AM