Children

This is too delicious. Funky Mama's album is an adorable compilation of catchy and friendly songs for kids. The songs have clean and fun lyrics, and some are surprisingly catchy, the type of tunes one could just as easily see being played in an upscale establishment. One of the best of these songs is "Sippy." Funky Mama has a great and strong, powerful voice, which she uses to great effect. Parents and kids alike can enjoy this child-friendly compilation of songs geared towards teaching children positive messages, such as pride in oneself, and drinking milk.

Mae Robertson's warm, soothing voice singing traditional lullabies like "Golden Slumbers," "Hush, Little Baby" and "Winken, Blinken and Nod" makes Dream a good album to listen to when trying to get your little ones to fall asleep. Dream is also an album for adults as well, as Robertson's covers of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," Paul Simon's "St. Judy's Comet," James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes" and Tom Waits's "Midnight Lullaby" will remind older listeners of the music of their youth.

Rebecca Frezza and her band Big Truck's album, Special Kind of Day, is a CD the whole family can listen to and enjoy. Though the lyrics are more for children...the opening song, "Come On Out," celebrating the arrival of spring, addresses different animals as Mr. Hedgehog, Mr. Mouse and so on...older listeners can get caught up in the band's music, which employs a variety of instruments and is complex enough to capture the listener's interest. The album's 13 songs take you through the seasons of the year.

Well, I guess the measure of a children's album's artistry is the effect it has on children. So, I played Ira Marlowe's "All The Colors" album for my three year old, and she absolutely loved it. Her biggest response came from the song "The Ballad Of Pepe Pinto," with it's Spanish flavored tuba and Caribbean accented steel drums. My favorite, however was "Molly the Moose in Hollywood," where it seems that even moose have morals.

This is a good CD for kids and adults to sing along and ride along to. Don't be surprised if you find yourself listening to these without your children around.