Music » Music for Little People

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Media Type: CD
Artist: FAVORITES SERIES
Title: TODDLER FAVORITES
Street Release Date: 03/17/1998
Domestic
Genre: CHILDREN'S COLLECTIONS

For centuries the world over, mothers (and fathers) have been cradling, cooing, and crooning to babies and small children with song. There's scarcely a one of us that cannot recall a particularly gentle song a special someone sang for a wee self--to calm, soothe, and aid slumber. This tender music is to the soul what mother's milk is to the body, and we call it the lullaby. Rooted in age-old tradition, Lullaby: A Collection presents an even dozen lullabies from around the globe. Particularly beguiling are the African "Be Still My Child" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the traditional Spanish "A La Nanita Nana" as sung by Tish Hinojosa, and Bobby McFerrin's "Common Thread," which you may recognize as the theme from the American documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Other featured artists include Sweet Honey in the Rock, Judy Collins, Derek Bell, and Loreena McKennitt. --Paige La Grone

Release Date: 1994-04-12, Audio CD, Music Little People

With 20 tunes in around 38 minutes, this CD is ideal for listeners in its targeted audience: kids from 2 to 5 years old. The songs (and rhymes) are all classics, and each is taken at a slack enough pace that the artists stand out. And who are the artists? Kids themselves, all in the targeted age range. They get an acoustic folk accompaniment for "I'm a Little Teapot" and a faux R&B backing for other tunes. Loosely gathered in, the lyrics for the songs delight children's ears and are tremendously cute, full of offhand mirth and glee. There are moments of in-studio laughter that make the final CD, and if that weren't enough, there are also what sound like impromptu recitations, from "Peas, Porridge Hot" to the quick "Fuzzy Wuzzy." In addition, the CD includes a great "Happy Birthday" and numerous examples of call-and-response singing that make adults happy merely to hear something so unhampered by excessive scripting, structure, or controlled forethought. --Andrew Bartlett

Release Date: 1994-08-30, Audio CD, Music Little People

What could possibly be cooler than hipping kids to some of the best pop music ever made? Music for Little People makes this project simple by producing a batch of the Beatles' sunniest songs performed by a prime adult band and your children's peers and slightly reworked in kid-friendly keys. The result is largely devoid of over-the-top cutesy-poo histrionics--these kids can really sing and the harmonies are quite commendable. Young listeners will be thrilled to sing along on the bouncy chorus of "Life Goes On," to count and do the alphabet on "All Together Now," and to distinguish the amusing sounds of a penny whistle, mandolin, and zither. Both Raffi and blues artist Eric Bibb make guest appearances, but the shining star at this party is child singer Bernie Steinberg, who takes lead on three tunes, including the touchingly performed "Mother Nature's Son" and the amazingly soulful "Birthday." --Paige La Grone

Release Date: 1999-06-15, Audio CD, Music Little People

Release Date: 1997-07-08, Audio CD, Music Little People

When your brood's in a mood, tell 'em (as Duke Ellington surely would've) it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Maria Muldaur's Swingin' in the Rain is just the ticket to perk things up and get those kiddos shuffling off to Buffalo rather than to the time-out corner! With a generous helping of horns, along with guitar, bass, and keyboards, Muldaur puts her sweet and lively spin on swing with revamped renditions of yesteryear's pop. "Aba Daba Honeymoon" is a zingy little number sure to get the gang singing along between giggles and "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is pleasantly sassy. "Animal Fair" is a welcome inclusion sandwiched by the nonsensical "Mairzy Doats" and "A Bushel and a Peck," a tune for tuning up the old shuffle-ball-change and waltz-clock combinations. --Paige La Grone

All aboard! For kids with a yen to travel farther than over the hill and through the woods to grandmother's house, Papa's Dream is a welcome invitation. Narrator Papa Lalo, Chicano rockers Los Lobos, and a passel of grandkids pile into a Mexico-bound flying balloon in celebration of the grandfather's birthday. Tots, tykes, and preteens will delight in the adventures of this flying family, and even moms and dads will appreciate the muscular feel-good rock of Los Lobos as they bop through contemporary stalwarts "La Bamba" and "Wooly Bully," as well as a handful of traditional Mexican folk tunes. --Paige La Grone