School Library Journal» Children’s music

‘Can You Canoe?’ Wins Grammy for Best Children’s Album of the Year | News Bites

Phyllis Levy Mandell — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:13:05 +0000

Move over Carrie Underwood, the Foo Fighters, Kanye West, and make way for the Okee Dokee Brothers—Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing. The group’s latest album, Can You Canoe?, nabbed the coveted 2013 Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album on February 10 at the star-studded awards ceremony held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The album, inspired by their canoe trip down the Mississippi River, features original mostly folk, country, and bluegrass numbers enhanced by virtuoso performances on a variety of instruments, including accordion, auto-harp, rhumba box, fiddle, udu, drums, pots and pans, tuba, trombone, and many others. According to a recent review in School Library Journal, “this unique, outstanding musical performance should have a place in every library.”

The two childhood friends took a month-long journey on the Mississippi, but never dreamed that their voyage would take them to the Grammys. About to board a plane home to Minnesota, Mailander told SLJ, “We are thrilled that the recording academy chose our album to represent the quality music that’s being made in the children’s genre right now. All the nominees were deserving and we’re honored to be in such great company.”

Four other children’s albums were nominated for a Grammy this year by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in the Best Children’s Album category: Bill Harley’s High Dive and Other Things That Could Have Happened (Round River); the JumpinJazz Kids’s A Swinging Jungle Tale (JumpinJazzKids), narrated by James Murray and featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Jarreau, Hubert Laws, and various artists; Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie (Smithsonian Folkways), re-imagined renditions of classic Guthrie favorites by Elizabeth Mitchell; and the Pop Ups’s (Brooklyn-based music duo Jason Rabinowitz and Jacob Stein) Radio Jungle (CDBaby.com).

Pick of the Day: Ozomatli Presents OzoKids (CD)

SLJ — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:57:17 +0000

Ozomatli Presents OzoKids. CD. approx. 37 min. Hornblow Group/Megaforce Records. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.98.
PreS-Gr 3–The Grammy award-winning Los Angeles-based Latin fusion group, Ozomatli, continues to defy being pigeon-holed. Never afraid to try new things, they accepted a challenge from PBS television to shed gang-violence and explicit lyrics and record several education-focused songs. Their new album is aimed at youngsters yet maintains a gritty, urban edge that should have wide appeal. Fusing Latino, hip-hop, reggae, techno pop, and rock, these 14 original tunes will teach youngsters and please grownups, too. The sophisticated and engaging arrangements feature a wide variety of musical styles and instrumentation. “Trees” explains what’s necessary for a tree to grow. “Germs” talks about good and bad germs. “Exercise” espouses its importance and various forms. “Water” lists the many forms it takes. “Pirana” encourages facing fears. Among the catchy numbers are “Moose on the Loose” (a techno rap), “Balloon Fest” (a cha-cha), “Like It’s Your Birthday,” “Let’s Go to the Movies” (features a strong percussion beat), “Spelling” (a fusion-infused spelling lesson), and “Changito” (a high-octane song sure to get kids up and moving). Rock on, Ozo!–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

Pick of the Day: Pete Remembers Woody (CD)

SLJ — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:00:40 +0000

Pete Remembers Woody. 2 CDs. range: 57:42-53:56 min. Prod. by Appleseed Recordings. Dist. by CDBaby.com. ISBN unavail. $20.
Gr 9 Up–This masterful album celebrates the centennial of Woody Guthrie’s birth in 1912. Producer David Bernz has compiled a number of stories that Pete Seeger (now in his 90s) told about Woody and himself, which were recorded in informal sessions over a span of time in their private homes. These reminiscences are interspersed with Woody’s songs, performed by a number of well-known folksingers and folk bands, such as Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Work o’ the Weavers, David Bernz, Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, Vanaver Caravan, Hope Machine, and Almanac Singers. Musical styles are primarily folk and bluegrass, with barbershop quartet and boogie as well. Cathy Fink’s mountain style banjo tunes introduce several of the story tracks, including those about Pete and Woody travelling and performing together, about Woody going to the public library at age 12 and amazing the librarian with how many adult books he read, and about Woody’s communist leanings. The song list includes “New York Town” (a 1940s recording of Woody and Cisco Houston singing together), “Woody’s Ghost,” “Which Side Are You On,” “Do Re Mi,” “The Sinking of the Reuben James,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “So Long It’s Been Good to Know Yuh,” “Pastures of Plenty,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “My Peace,” “Peace Pin Boogie,” “Woody’s Rulin’s,” and “I’ve Got to Know,” among others. Featuring outstanding vocal and instrumental performances, this important piece of music history should be in every public library.–Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX

Pick of the Day: The Mighty Sky (CD)

SLJ — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:16:16 +0000

The Mighty Sky. CD. 31:31 min. with lyrics. NewSound Kids. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.98.
K-Gr 4–This production is the brain child of Grammy nominee and NAMMY’s Songwriter of the Year (given by the Native American Music Association), Beth Nielsen Chapman. She was joined in the effort by songwriter Annie Roboff and lyricist Rocky Alvey, director of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. The trio has put together a fantastic album of 11 songs in various musical styles including rock, doo wop, zydeco, English music hall, country, blues, and folk. Chapman’s vocals are excellent, as are the instrumental performances on acoustic guitar, slide guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano, keyboards, flute, piccolo, penny whistle, trumpet, drums, percussion, theremin, harmonica, blues harp, accordion, squeeze box, and Jews harp. The songs, mostly about objects in outer space, include “The Mighty Sky,” “Through Hubble’s Eyes” (Dr. C. R. O’Dell, founding scientist of the Hubble Space Telescope, describes it as a time machine when it looks out at distant galaxies), “The Big Bang Boom,” “The Moon,” “Little Big Song,” “Rockin’ Little Neutron Star” (the rhythm track is an actual recording of the Vela Pulsar, 1000 light years away), “Zodiacal Zydeco,” “Test, Re-test and Verify,” “The Way That We Lean,” “You Can See the Blues,” and “There Is No Darkness.” The lyrics insert unfolds into a poster with awesome photos and outer space facts. This outstanding album belongs in every library’s collection of music for children.–Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX

SLJ Pick of the Day: Creepy Crawly Love (CD)

SLJ — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:00:07 +0000

Creepy Crawly Love. CD. 30:47 min. CDBaby.com. 2012. ISBN unavail. $14.99.
PreS-Gr 3–In his first album for children, Duke Otherwise hits all of the right notes. Clever lyrics abound in this collection of 12 original songs about topics such as food, animals, and word play. Children will enjoy listening to each song and trying to figure out what the twist may be. From the tune about “my uncle who’s an ant” to a lion being given the advice that he would make more friends if he was a vegetarian to trying to find a synonym for cinnamon, Duke keeps listeners engaged. The melodies are unlike anything currently available in children’s music. Often infused with Latin influences and with a quality that makes them seem ready for a theatrical stage production, each of the songs is filled with high quality, entertaining lyrics and features a wide array of instruments including clarinet, congas, Farfisa organ, and mustard bottle. This fun, unique collection is a must-have for every collection.–Veronica De Fazio, Plainfield Public Library, IL

Pick of the Day: Blue Clouds (CD)

SLJ — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:00:34 +0000

Blue Clouds. CD. 39 min. with booklet. Smithsonian Folkways. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.99.
PreS-Gr 3–Beautiful harmonies and Elizabeth Mitchell’s lovely, sweet voice are the hallmarks of this outstanding collection of traditional and original songs. She’s joined by her husband, Daniel Littleton, and daughter, Storey, as well as others. Mitchell has breathed new life into these traditional songs and has transformed several classic rock numbers into folk style with elegant and simple arrangements. In addition to the top-notch vocal performances, the band and guest musicians give outstanding performances on a variety of instruments, including acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, cello, viola, zither, dulcimer, piano, recorder, oboe, drums, percussion, xylophone, glockenspiel, and more. Mitchell performs beautiful covers of some classic rock pieces: “I Wish You Well” (Bill Withers), “Kooks” (David Bowie), “Everyone” (Van Morrison), “May This Be Love” (Jimi Hendrix), and “Blue Sky” (Allman Brothers). “Arm in Arm” (octopus love), “Rollin’ Baby,” and “Blue Clouds” (a lullaby) are all original songs. Traditional numbers include “Hop Up, My Ladies,” a medley of “Froggie Went a-Courtin’” with “King Kong Kitchie,” “San Toki” (Mountain Bunny, Korean), “Summer Is Icumen In” (medieval round), “The Little Bird,” “Circle of the Sun” (dedicated to Storey’s cousin who passed away at age four), “Moon Don’t Go,” and “Yuki” (Snow, Japanese). The booklet has notes for each of the songs and is illustrated with pictures from Remy Charlip’s 1969 book, Arm in Arm (Parent’s Magazine Press, 1965). This fantastic album should be in every library’s collection of music for children.–Beverly Wrigglesworth, San Antonio Public Library, TX

Pick of the Day: Make Believers (CD)

SLJ — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:00:39 +0000

Make Believers. CD. 41 min. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.
Pres-Gr 5–Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is a children’s performer unlike any you’ve heard before. Filled with great beats and fresh rhymes, his newest album brings to mind Will Smith in his musical prime. Skidoo infuses hip-hop into children’s music using fantastic guest vocalists to keep the songs light while addressing such kid familiar topics as nightmares, being a friend to oneself, swimming, and even putting a truly fresh spin on Jack and the Beanstalk (“Magic Beans”). Skidoo is artfully joined on two of the songs by his 10-year-old daughter, Saki, aka MC Fireworks, who can hold her own when breaking things down. The 11 songs are filled with an energy and positivity that will greatly appeal to children and their parents. Among the numbers are “Space Cadet,” “Rocketfuel,” “Nightmares Disappear,” “Snowforts and Sandcastles,” “Gotta Be You,” and more. This fresh, fantastic album is a must-have for all collections.–Veronica De Fazio, Plainfield Public Library District, IL