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2000 music reviews
(July-December)

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Old Mr. Mackle Hackle

album by Gunnar Madsen, reviewed July 2000

“Attack of the Twerps”

Old Mr. Mackle Hackle

Fact: Sometimes reviewers are twerps. Not your common garden variety either. Case in point: I've had a CD patiently sitting in my office since early December 1999, screaming to be reviewed, called Old Mr. Mackle Hackle by a fellow named Gunnar Madsen. The cover shows him dressed as a farmer, holding a chicken in one hand, with a slightly demented look on his face that should have reeled me in right away because, as we all know, I am a tad skewed. But nooo! I just prodded it, turned it over, read the song list, and delegated it to the stack of "once touched." Exasperated, my cat Smudge sat on the CD and wouldn't budge until I listed to it.

Well, you guessed it: the album's a blast. Great energy, clever lyrics, top-notch musicianship and most important, a sense of fun. Madsen is a co-creator of the internationally acclaimed a capella group The Bobs, so his musical chops are impeccable. The opening song, "Summertime is Here" kicks things off with superb Beatlesque harmonies. Then there's "Chicken Road," where everything and everyone is a chicken. My favorite lines: There's chickens rich and chickens poor/There's a chicken who looks like Lesley Gore.

There are a couple of songs about dinosaurs, "Born to Chew (We Eat Meat)" and a Wagnerian take called "The Dinosaur Song." But my favorite is "I'm a Little Twerp," a paean to little brothers (and reviewers sometimes). "I am passionate about creating music for children that treats them with respect, that both meets them at their level and challenges them to stretch their hearts and minds," Madsen says. And is also tons of fun.

Old Mr. Mackle Hackle, G-Spot Records, $15 CD, (800) 711-3627 or www.gunnarspot.com.

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Splash Zone & The Earth’s Birthday Sing-Along

albums by Linda Arnold and Dave Kinnoin, reviewed August 2000

“Ecology Songs”

Splash Zone This month, I'm feeling at one with the universe. So what shows up in my mailbox? A picture of Raffi? A resounding "No!" Instead, a CD from Linda Arnold singing about oceanic critters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. To commemorate the opening of a new family gallery called Splash Zone, Arnold has written 18 bouncy tunes steeped in Caribbean, Cuban and South African rhythms. Fun and informative conservation messages are woven throughout. My favorite has to be "That's A Moray" (all puns intended): If it slithers inside of a crevice to hide/ With its mouth open wide/ That's a moray. Everybody sing!

Dave Kinnoin's new release is also in conjunction with a worthwhile cause. The Earth's Birthday Sing-Along will support the nonprofit organization The Earth's Birthday Project in Santa Fe, New Mexico, whose goal is to ignite children's intrinsic sense of wonder for the natural world, while inspiring them to take loving action on its behalf. Kinnoin is one of our best song-crafters around; and his years of writing for Disney, Jim Henson TV, and Children's Television Workshop, among others, have paid his writing dues. Side One of the album includes singable tunes about the Earth, flowers, insects, and endangered species; and Side Two contains the instrumental tracks. So grab the enclosed lyric sheet and sing-a-long! Kinnoin co-produces with the very talented John Hoke who plays about every instrument that can't run away. I bet the Earth enjoyed this party. Catch you on the flip side!

Splash Zone, Monterey Bay Aquarium; $9.95 CD $6.95 cassette, call (877) 665-2665 or visit website at www.montereybayaquarium.org.

The Earth's Birthday Sing-Along, Song Wizard Records; $13.00 CD or $10.00 cassette. Call (800) 678-7664, or visit Dave Kinnoin's website at www.songwizard.com, or The Earth's Birthday Project website at www.earthsbirthday.org.

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More American Heroes

album by Jonathan Sprout, reviewed September 2000

“Of Thee I Sing, Heroes”

More American Heroes

What better way to go back to school than with a copy of Jonathan Sprout's More American Heroes tucked into your backpack? Better than an apple. I smell extra credit. Teachers take note: might be a couple of lesson plans tucked inside Sprout's latest foray into the indomitable American spirit.

The upbeat, nicely arranged songs convey the extraordinary efforts of the heroes as they faced life's formidable challenges. Joining Sprout's super-league of past heroes are: Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to break major league baseball's color barrier in 1947; Eleanor "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" Roosevelt; Sojourner Truth, the former slave, who traveled across America denouncing slavery; the Wright Brothers, who flew the first self-powered airplane; Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader; Helen Keller, who proved that "disability does not man inability"; Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon; Johnny Appleseed who planted apple orchards throughout Ohio and Indiana; Frederick Douglass, former slave, abolitionist and advocate of women's rights; and Susan B. Anthony, one of the founders of American feminism. Quite a line-up!

The liner notes include a thumbnail biography introducing each song, and once again the beautifully designed caricature cover is by Randy Hamblin. Yes, I'd definitely pack this along in my Harry Potter lunch pail. Catch you on the flip side!

—John Wood

More American Heroes, Sprout Recordings, $9.98 cassette $14.98 CD, phone 888-386-7664 or see website at www.jonsprout.com.

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Dan Crow Live,
Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Spooky!

albums by Dan Crow and Katherine Dines, reviewed October 2000

“Spooky Sounds”

Dan Crow Live If you want the "full monty" of Dan Crow, you need to see him in concert — but if you're a shut-in or incarcerated, I have a great pick-me-up: Dan's new live double-album. The master storyteller and songsmith is so in touch with his inner child that he gets a discount at movie theatres!

A zany rubber-faced purveyor of puns who's as infectious as a nuclear plant with twice as much energy, just as bright, and tons more fun! All Crow's classics are included: "Oops," "Apples & Bananas," "I Had Ham," and "Kiss A Cow," among others, along with the Halloween-flavored "Which Witch," "When the Goblins Come," and "Bloody Finger." As always, Crow's word play is a clinic in edu-tainment.

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Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Spooky! Katherine Dines has made a definitive Halloween album of tales and tunes that will send shivers up your Frigidaire.

"When it comes to scaring children," Dines says, "there is a fine line as to how far one can go. Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Spooky! is appropriate for those over six-years old — even though the narrator scares gently and keeps a reality check on things."

Dines' old-crone Southern storyteller device works well to introduce a potent pot of traditional stories, from Poe ("Alone") to Shakespeare ("Recipe for Witches' Brew") with a generous sprinkling of her own imaginative songs, such as "Ooey gooey Stew" and "Nobody's Home But Mister Jones' Bones." Her liner notes read like a novel, chock-full of information, facts and fictions — and you know how much I love my liner notes! Game on! Have a safe and happy Halloween. Catch you on the flip side!

— John Wood

Dan Crow Live, Alls House Family Entertainment, $20 Double CD, (800) 344-2769 or www.dancrow.com.

Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Spooky!, Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta Music, $14.95/CD $9.95/cassette; (800) 289-6923 or www.hunktabunkta.com.

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Celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,
and Doo Wop Yule Pop

albums by Craig 'n Co., The Charphelia Company, and Stormy Weather reviewed December 2000

“December 24/7”

I've got an idea for an extended holiday. With the 12 days of Christmas, 8 days of Hanukkah and 7 days of Kwanzaa in tow, I've invented a new, 27-day holiday called Hanumaszaa! So to help us celebrate this fabulous event, I've got a triple-pick for your family's auditory pleasure.

Celebrate Hanukkah is the second release in the award-winning "Celebrate Series" from Craig 'n Co. A tapestry of diverse musical and language styles from around the world highlight this 13-song CD commemorating the Festival of Lights. Joining Craig 'n Co.'s Peter Yarrow, Laurence Juber, Craig Taubman and Debbie Friedman are talented international artists singing in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, and English. Light one more candle for this joyous offering!

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa, initially an African-American celebration of positive universal value lessons, has grown to encompass millions worldwide as an uplifting, multicultural family event. Kwanzaa, the CD, takes each of the seven days of the holiday (Dec. 26 through Jan. 1) on a musical journey of infectious toe-tapping rhythm and song.

The popular a capella group Stormy Weather has an invigorating collection of evergreen holiday favorites with Doo Wop Yule Pop. It's a plum pudding of classical, traditional and original finger-snapping Christmas tunes featuring the best instrument of all: the human voice. Catch you on the flip side!

Celebrate Hanukkah, Craig 'n Co.; $14.98 CD. Phone (800) 627-2448 or www.celebrateseries.com.
Kwanzaa, The Charphelia Company; $12.98 CD. Phone (888) 299-2650 or www.charphelia.com.
Doo Wop Yule Pop, Street Gold Records; $9.95 cassette, $15.95 CD. Phone (800) 720-5152 or www.streetgold.com.

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Legal notice: Quoting from or otherwise using the material in the reviews on this website is not permitted without written permission from Kidzmusic. To obtain permission, contact John Wood at john@kidzmusic.com.

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