Year-Round Sounds

K-Gr 4—Loosely themed to follow holidays and seasons of the year, these 14 songs include a mix of traditional standards (a rockabilly version of "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" and "Here Comes Santa Claus") with classic tunes (a Hipwaders twist on the Sesame Street theme and a Beatles-inspired "A Very Merry Christmas") and original tunes by band member Tito Uquillas (a funky "Kings and Queens," a spooky "Pumpkinhead," and an ode to Mother Earth "Gaia She Knows"). Other standouts include "Not Just Me" (about being on your best behavior), "Smile About" (finding humor in bad times), and "Shadow Dance" (featuring a duet with Charity Kahn, of Charity & the JAMband). Libraries may find a couple of original tunes particularly useful for programming this summer: a pop song listing "The Books I Like to Read" and the rocking "We Can Be Heroes" about superpowers we have that can "save the world."