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Maya and Miguel - Best Friends
- On “Best Friends” the beloved PBS twins Maya and Miguel make the leap from television to the ipods and MP3 players of kids worldwide. Madacy Latino, leading producer of children’s music collections targeting Hispanic and English speaking markets, recently launched this 14 track tribute to the ups and downs of friendship - from the mouths of babes.
...And if there’s anything better than a great pop song, it’s a great pop song re-worked for the kiddies, right? Well, that depends... For instance, if you love, or in the very least, can stomach Alvin, Theodore, and Simon’s ‘cute’ Chipmunk versions of “Witch Doctor” and “Surfin’ USA” then, YES. On the other hand, if you disagree with the idea of watering down pop songs meant for an older audience and then re-packaging them to deliberately encourage younger kids to sing along, well, then NO.
Divergent views of the kiddie pop trend aside, most of the songs re-recorded by children’s band The Tweens are faithful to the popular originals. The clear, pre-pubescent voices shine on Ace of Base’s “It’s a Beatiful Life” and The Turtles’ “Happy Together” and “I’d Like to Teach the Worlds to Sing” of Coca-Cola fame. The innocence and youth captured on these is enough to pardon the failed attempts of “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Stop in the Name of Love” whose lyrics are on the mature side for a CD targeting 4-8 year olds.
Initial adult reaction: at worst, a painful grimace, at best, a smile, accompanied by an involuntary “Bless their hearts!” However, if you’re a kid, or young at heart, or just a shameless fan of all things cute, Best Friends is a sure winner.
Reviewer: C. Lizaire
new
Reviewer's Rating: 6.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 28-Mar-2006
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