2001 music reviews (January-June)

album by Shel Silverstein, reviewed January 2001

What a pleasure it is to hear the late, great Shel Silverstein wrap his tongue gleefully around the words of his imaginative poetry and songs in the re-release of his 1984 Grammy Award-winning album Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Based on his popular book of the same name, this digitally remastered 25th anniversary treasure contains 11 previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions, making a whopping total of 47 cuts!

Silverstein's passionate performances breathe new life (as only the creator can) into his original work. Pacing, dynamics, original intention and irony now make such sense. "Jimmy Jet and His TV Set" is just as relevant today, as Jimmy morphs into a TV set due to his all-couch-potato-all-the-time syndrome. Sung as if Silverstein's hawking lemonade on a summer sidewalk, "For Sale" recounts an older brother's exasperated attempt to sell his sister to the highest (any) bidder for alleged spying and crying accusations. And who can ever forget Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout's reluctance to take the garbage out or the "Boa Constrictor song" (Oh, heck, it's up to my neck!).

Silverstein was a true renaissance man: a master of language and rhythm, a brilliant artist, satirist and general bon vivant. One can only hope that "The Giving Tree" was committed to tape somewhere with the same wry energy as Sidewalk. The serrated edge of some of the pieces may chaff in this climate of political correctness, but look deeper and see the method behind the madness. Then enjoy the storytelling magic and mastery of one of the unique voices of the 20th century. Catch you on the flip side!

Where the Sidewalk Ends, Columbia/Legacy, $11.98 CD, $7.98 cassette. Website at www.columbiarecords.com.

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albums by Richard Snee and Jim Weiss, reviewed February 2001

Let the people decide! Richard Snee has pounced upon an idea, turned it upside down, inside out, and called it Mother Goose Rocks. This concept has been tackled before in a myriad of ways but I prefer this approach: Take classic arrangements, simulate the artist, silly-up the name and cover classic nursery rhymes! All the songs are performed by pseudo-stars with dead-ringer arrangements. You've got Mad Donna techno-ing up "The Wheels On The Bus," Serene Begone belting "Shoo Fly/Skip To My Lou," and Dantana's "Hokey Pokey" sure sounds smooth. Each of the three CDs has bonus features including an animated music video, and a software activity called Movie Makeover that lets the user alter video clips and personalize the video. The software is compatible for both PC and Mac computers. So when you're ready for your own Lollypopallooza, call Share, Punch Nose, Ohmya Twang, Doubt It, The Tallflowers and Lana Moreisless because they will rock your world!

Jim Weiss' Greathall Productions has been churning out quality storytelling CDs and tapes for years, and has garnered many prestigious awards in the process. He's covered all the classic literature from Shakespeare to Sherlock. Fairytale Favorites in Story and Song is one of my . . . favorites. Four stories, "Stone Soup," "Puss in Boots," "The Shoemaker and the Elves," and "Rapunzel" are performed by master storyteller Weiss replete with a ton o' accents, music and song. The Tales are timeless and kudos to Weiss for continuing the tradition of one of our oldest art forms. Catch you on the flip side!

Mother Goose Rocks!, Volumes 1 to 3, Boffomedia; $15.98 enhanced CD. (408) 395-5887 or www.boffomedia.com or www.mothergooserocks.com.
Fairytale Favorites, Youngheart Music; $10.98 cassette, $13.98 CD. (800) 444-4287 or www.youngheartmusic.com.

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albums by Rounder Kids and Hap Palmer, reviewed March 2001

From the Something-Needed-To-Be-Done department: The Bright Spaces program, a pioneer in the field of employee-sponsored child care and early education, has taken it to the streets, so to speak, to provide children in homeless shelters a safe and educational place to play. A classy cross-section of children's artists lends talent and tunes to Bright Spaces, the album. Sales proceeds go directly to the Bright Spaces program.

Among the many contributors are Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers (Arthur Theme Song), Arlo Guthrie (Bling Bang and This Land is Your Land), Raffi (Something in My Shoe, Everything Grows, All I Really Need and Goodnight Irene), Cathy & Marcy (Moonlight and Talk To Me), John McCutcheon (If I Ran the World), Jessica Harper (This Happy House), David Mallet (Garden Song), Sweet Honey in the Rock (Still the Same Me), Si Kahn (One Glass of Water), Crawdaddys (Bossa by the Numbers), and Jane Sapp's Dream Project lends a hip version of Old MacDonald to the party. For great music and a worthy cause, you can't go wrong with this fine collection.

Hap Palmer has the inside track on combining music and movement to educate in a fun and fascinating way. Can Cockatoos Count By Twos? not only gets listeners moving and grooving to the cleverly crafted all-original 18-song package, but children also learn about numbers, phonics, rhyming, colors, identification of body parts, months and seasons, space and directions, and other important social tools in spite of themselves. The liner notes are chock full of objectives, settings required, materials needed and a breakdown of the activity associated with each song. A veritable plethora of lesson plans for the K-3 teacher! For more on Hap Palmer's teaching philosophy, check out his article on my Web site. Catch you on the flip side.

Bright Spaces, Rounder Kids, CD $12.99 cassette $8.99; (617)354-0700 or www.rounder.com.
Can Cockatoos Count By Two's?, Hap-Pal Music, CD $14.95 cassette $9.95; (818)885-0200 or www.happalmer.com.

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album by Justin Roberts, reviewed April 2000

Just in time Justin Roberts' refreshing Yellow Bus delivers a busload of infectious, rollicking and insightful tunes for the inner and outer child. Reminiscent of James Taylor and Cat Stevens, Roberts' organic acoustic guitar-driven arrangements revamp shop-worn kiddie-song concepts and mine magic from the mundane.

Children can just about learn to tie their shoes by memorizing the lyrics to "Tie Your Shoe." (It worked for me.) The poignant lyric of "Mama is Sad" — Mama is sad and I know that she's taken off her ring — conveys the pain of divorce through a loving child's eyes. Who hasn't spoiled their dinner by dipping into the cookie jar for "One Little Cookie" or waited impatiently for the "Yellow Bus" or "Thought It Was A Monster" during the night? So "Jump in the Car" and "Tickle My Toes," because you're in for a fun ride! Each of these dozen tunes holds its own weight and was honed the best way: In concert settings around the country.

Roberts' initial endeavor, Great Big Sun, recorded and marketed on a shoestring budget, still managed 2,000 copies sold via mail order, and was selected as "Best Music Gift of the Year" by Sesame Street Parents magazine. A clear and present voice on the children's music scene, Justin Roberts has found the key to writing and performing for children. "I get my best ideas from children — I guess I've never forgotten what it's like to be a kid," he says. Boom, and there it is! Catch you on the flip side.

— John Wood

Yellow Bus, Hear Diagonally, $14.99 CD; call (877) 345-4992 or www.heardiagonally.com.

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album by Sharon Kennedy, reviewed May 2001

Sharon Kennedy follows her award-winning and Grammy-nominated Irish Folk Tales for Children with an equally appealing collection aptly titled More Irish Folk Tales for Children. What a wonderful way to drift asleep, on a schooner crafted of superb stories, and steered by a master wordsmith!

Kennedy's command of word and dialect, floating on a musical bed of traditional instrumentation, transcends time, space and, most assuredly, age. The whole family will enjoy the adventures of "Annie O'Reilly and the Magic Dancing Pig," an original story culled from cross-cultural tales of singers, dancers and musicians who can't be stopped. "Finn McCool" is an Irish folk hero whom Paul Bunyan might call Daddy. Bopping around town since the 10th century, Kennedy's McCool in WWF-fashion smacks right into another, yet older Irish hero, Cuchulain. Traditionally, to hear both of these stories wall-to-wall, listeners would have had to return to the storyteller's house in the cold, long winter months for over 30 or 40 nights. Even longer during sweeps week!

Children win the day when Kennedy has her way, as in "Banogue Bridge," a testament of sticking to and following one's own personal destiny. Following a beautiful instrumental intermission break called "The Green Hills," another original, "Tommy O'Rourke Visits The Moon," synthesizes story devices collected by Thomas Croften Crocker in 1813. This magical-mystical adventure also includes the ancient sport of hurling, a game played by large men with sticks, a soft-ball and loosely controlled mayhem.

Storytellers have been around since word one. Traveling from town-to-town, heralding the news of the day, slamming the powers that be, and sustaining the heroic oral tradition. Thanks to artists like Sharon Kennedy, we are privy to, and responsible for, holding up our end of the verbal email. Hear a story, add your own touch, and pass it on. Tag you're it. Just like books we all have stories to tell. Catch you on the flip side!

More Irish Folk Tales, Rounder Select; $12.99 CD, $8.99 cassette. Call (617) 354-0700 or www.rounder.com.

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album by Ralph Covert, reviewed June 2001

Now here's a breath of fresh air on a smoggy day: Ralph Covert's Ralph's World. And believe you me, there's nothing covert about this exuberant exercise in offbeat, upbeat, can't-beat-it-with-a-stick, in-your-face, self-effacing fun. Just when you think you've figured out Ralph's world, another musical island appears out of the mist to surprise you. This collection's a clever mixture of feisty originals braided with well-known icons like Ragtime Cowboy Joe, Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger, floating on an organic bed of acoustic guitars, mandolins, dobros, ukuleles, harmonicas and a kids' chorus that really sounds like they're having fun. Parents will appreciate this CD on road trips. In a nutshell, Ralph's World communicates the innocence, revelations and familiarity of the childhood rites of passage. Good luck on your next one, Ralph, this one will be hard to beat!

Now on a different beat, my editor, Janis Hashe, is moving on to other creative pastures. I have learned so much and have been encouraged by her tutelage. Enlightened by her lovely travel adventures, uplifted by her generous sharing of theatre, I wish her bon voyage and many blessings. As I certainly crushed deadlines, mangled verbiage, and finally found my voice, she never missed a beat or raised her voice my way. This did not go undetected or unloved. Thanks so much! And I will, catch you on the flip side.

Ralph's World, Mini Fresh Records, CD $12.99, www.minifresh.com.

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