Review: Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers - Trout Fishing in America

Let us begin this review by noting the long history of Trout Fishing in America.  Formed in 1979 out of the ashes of another band, Keith Grimwood (bass, AKA the short one) and Ezra Idlet (guitar and banjo, AKA the tall one) have made folk-rock together as a duo for nearly 35 years, including more than 20 years of family music releases.  Not to mention many hours (weeks? months?) of between-song banter That, friends, is a long career, one that the duo shows no signs of wrapping up.

Their new album Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers is in many respects similar to prior releases of theirs.   Goofy wordplay and joy in rhyme?  The title track is for you, as is their version of Emily Kaitz's "To Be a Wood Bee."  Songs from songwriting workshops done with kids?  Please check out "Zoo Wacky Zoo" and "It's Not Mud" (the latter featuring Chris Wiser and Rob Martin from the Sugar Free Allstars).  Just plain odd? "Meow, Meow, Meow" serves as your English-Feline dictionary.

While I've always appreciated kid-centric narrative approach that TFIA takes, I've never been a big fan of most of the songs that have come out of their songwriting workshops with youth -- I think the two such songs here are the album's weakest tracks.  Far stronger, at least from a narrative perspective, is "The Late, Great, Nate McTate," featuring a strutting bass line and a perfectly captured character study of a timeliness-challenged person.  It's a song that makes me very much want to hear the full 2009 musical the band wrote the songs for (P's and Q's: The ABCs of Manners) on which it first appeared.

I can't finish this review without a special shout-out to "Don't Touch My Stuff!"   The song was inspired (if that's the right word) by the burglary of the band's van in 2012.  The not-at-all concealed anger and frustration (albeit leavened with humor - "Hey! what's wrong with our CDs?!") makes me feel it's not quite a kids song, but then again, it's the sort of raw emotion that's rare in music for families, and in that regard I like it.

The 36-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 9.  You can hear three of the songs at the band's homepage.

Any band with as long a career as Trout Fishing in America has had clearly understands what their audience wants, and the band is comfortable in what they're offering musically, occasionally wandering down paths just because they're amused by doing so.  Longtime TFIA fans won't be disappointed by Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers  and newcomers will find the album a good introduction to the band, its music, and its sense of humor, not to mention a number of songs worth putting into your family music rotation.  Recommended.  

Weekly Summary (9/2/13 - 9/8/13)

Review: Books from The Secret Mountain

The Canadian company The Secret Mountain has published a lot of CD/book sets the past few years.  Once every three or four months, it seems, the company releases a hardcover book accompanied by a full CD of music.  At this point, they are nearly the equal of the Putumayo Kids label in terms of their ongoing release of music from around the world (at least from an American's perspective), even if the depth of their catalogue isn't yet near that of Putumayo.

Let's take a look at some recent releases to see if any might be right for your family.

Let's start with the least-recent production, The Fabulous Song.  The book (written by Don Gillmor and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay) was actually first published in 1996.  It concerns one Frederic Pipkin, a young boy who does not take to instruments of any kind but eventually finds his own way to bring music into the world.  It is my favorite of the books here, but the music by Michelle Campagne and Davy Gallant is my least favorite of the CDs here.  The songs have a bit of pop-musical sound to them, but unlike most musicals, the songs only comment on the action without really ever moving the action along itself, and while I happen to like my share of musicals, there are no distinguishing songs here.  (More details here.)

Next up is Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important, a sequel from Trout Fishing in America to their previous Secret Mountain book, My Name Is Chicken Joe.  Frankly, I didn't give this book and CD enough attention when it first came out last fall, because when I gave it another spin recently, I was surprised (and pleased) at how well-done the songs are.  As a CD, I liked it more than what was in part a greatest hits album on the first book.  The songs have some connection to the story, but each stands alone without the other.  The story itself (the title pretty much says it all) is slight, but Stephane Jorisch returns to give the story his "happy Ralph Steadman" illustrations.  As a set (and definitely for the CD alone), I would definitely give this book the edge over Fabulous Song and I would recommend the CD by itself as well. (Details)

Moving on to more Putumayo-ish turf, Secret Mountain last fall released Songs from the Baobab.  The book itself was a massive success overseas when it was first released a decade ago, selling more than 100,000 copies.  Now the set featuring African lullabies and nursery rhymes compiled by Chantal Grosleziat comes to North America.  The book itself features evocative illustrations by Elodie Nouhen and a line or two of translated text from each song on a page or two.  (More detailed liner notes follow these fully illustrated pages.)  I am certainly no expert in the renditions, but they sounded lovely to my ears.  I would say the songs tend more toward the lullaby end of the spectrum.  (Details)

For those of you looking for a sprightlier musical trip somewhere outside of America, the latest set from the label, Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree, should fit the bill.  This collection of French Creole lullabies and nursery rhymes is more on the nursery rhyme end of the spectrum.  The songs were compiled again by Chantal Grosleziat, but illustrator Laurent Corvaisier uses a brighter, more vibrant palette (befitting the music).  I recommend both this and its African cousin -- your preference for calmer versus more active songs (and pictures) should guide your choice.  (Details)

There you go -- four sets, at least three worth further exploration.

Christmas CD Reviews (2011 Edition, Part 1)

So many Christmas albums have crossed my desk (real or virtual) this year that I'm splitting my reviews up into 2 parts -- one for kids music artists or albums targeted at kids (this one) and one for the rest of the musical world. That distinction is a little fuzzy, because Christmas music, generally, is pretty family-friendly as it is. In any case, there are one or two albums here that could have been in the next installment, and there are a handful of artists in that next installment whose names are familiar to the kids music world. Because what people are looking for in Christmas music differs dramatically, these reviews are ordered in rough order of most to least "goofy." "Goofy" is merely a descriptive term, not a pejorative term -- it just helps those different people who want different things from their holiday music figure out where on the spectrum they should be reading. MamaSaidNogYouOut.JPGIt is not terribly surprising that I would lead off this list -- the "most goofy" -- with an album from The Jimmies. Ashley Albert and crew have expanded their holiday EP from last year into a full-length Mama Said Nog You Out. (The title alone should clue you in on their attitude.) It's not that they're disrespectful to the season, just that they're more interested in its absurdities. The chant-y original "Nogturne in C Minor," turning "Sleigh Ride" into lite-funk, and making the-already-not-too-reverential "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" into a Marcia Ball-style blues strut -- these are not the songs of someone who's going to somberly celebrate. (And with several songs celebrating non-Christmas holidays, it's appropriate for wiseacre families of every creed.) Available exclusively at Barnes and Noble, or get a free download if you order their latest album Practically Ridiculous from the Jimmies at their website. DearSantaClaus.jpgBilly Kelly is next up with Dear Santa Claus, a 5-song EP featuring the typical Billy Kelly-ian stew of wordplay and earnestness mixed with a little bit of Bart Simpson. The classic song here is "Glebells Jing!," which Kelly first featured a couple years ago and has somehow managed to rope an entire chorus to sing its mind-bending alteration of "Jingle Bells." (I think the cheer at the end of the song is one of relief.) The other tracks do a better job of celebrating the (secular) season, but none will stick in your head like "Glebells Jing!" Purchase the album at Amazon or iTunes. All proceeds will benefit Camp Victory, a Pennsylvania camp designed for kids with chronic health illness or disabilities.