***Farmer Jason***

Leave it to this guy to make the forest seem like the coolest place in the world! For his second kids' album, Farmer Jason leaves the ranch for a while and takes us on a trip through the woods. Rockin' in the Forest with Farmer Jason not only rocks harder in some places than his first CD for kids, A Day at the Farm - both of which are now available on the Kid Rhino label - but the songs are also more varied on Forest, making this follow-up an even stronger collection than Farm, if that's possible.

The album kicks off with chugging guitars, melodic trumpets, and a pennywhistle guiding us through "The Forest Oh!" Jason shows his rockin' roots with "Punk Rock Skunk", an all-out rocker that fades with a gang of kids chanting "Hey Ho, Let's Go!", as well as with the "File Under: Anarchy in the Pre-K" suggestion on the CD cover. Sly music biz dig: "There's a lot of singers smell / and they end up with a hit".

"Ode to a Toad" uses Dylan's "Hurricane" groove to tell the story of a ... well ... toad! Jason then channels Woodie Guthrie on the brief a capella tune, "Mrs. Mouse". You can play a guessing game with Farmer Jason on the Bo-Diddley-beat "Forest Rhymes", a song that, I must admit, is soothing to these Deep Southern ears, as Farmer Jason pronounces the word "cheer" with three syllables (chu-ae-uhr).

Todd Snyder then joins the fun on the boistrous "He's a Moose on the Loose", a jaunty "Sugar Shack"-meets-the-Tijuana Brass rocker; while "Arrowhead", besides being a beautifuly-written tune, may be the only kids' song penned specifically about the Shawnee Tribe.

"Catfish Song" rumbles along like that whiskered critter on a riverbed bottom, then Webb Wilder contributes some blazin' guitar work on the rocker "Opossum in a Pocket". The jazzy, spoken-word "A Butterfly Speaks" lets us listen in as a butterfly ponders the reason he's called a butterfly; and the album ends with "The Old Oak Tree", a majestic country song about that mighty timber.

Jason's strengths as a songwriter are evident on Rockin' in the Forest, as he knows just when to use double-tracked lead vocals, when to drop in a second or third harmony, and how to hook the listener with incredibly singalongable choruses. It's no surprise, then, that Ringenberg just signed a songwriting deal with Lionsgate Music & Publishing, a move that will introduce his songs to a wider audience. More recognition = more opportunities to make music = more Farmer Jason CDs! See you in the forest!

***Ellen and Matt***

OK, let's put this CD in, give it a listen ... hmmm, "Eat My Dinner", pretty good kids' stuff ... whoa, nice harmonies ... wow, great middle eight ... holy crap! did that guy just rock a guitar solo on a kids album?!? Yes!!!

And on and on ... The surprises never end on this CD, and that's one of the things I love about it. First, it's a lot of fun to hear a kids' album and wonder if it really is a kids' album. The music is so great that, if you didn't listen to the lyrics, you would swear this was some new indie rock CD. Second, every time you think you know what's coming next, you get thrown a curve melodically or composition-wise. Los Angeles-based Ellen and Matt Kennedy recently released their debut children's CD, Best Friends, on their own 3 Suns Records, and they seem to be one of the few kids' groups who aren't retired rockers or vying for a spot on Nick Jr.

The title tune begins as a tender waltz-time piano solo, then surprise! crunchy guitars and splashy drums are pushed to the forefront. And check out the unbelieveable middle eight, right before the ... surprise! whistling solo! Then, imagine taking your kids to Preschool story time and surprise! the Pixies show up and play a song for them ... you'd probably hear "Bounce". "Go To Bed" starts out as an appropriately dreamy-sounding tune, then surprise! it morphs into THE LOUDEST bedtime song you will ever hear, a song Billy Corgan forgot to include on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Other great songs include the dryly-produced "Juice Box Rock", whose clipped vocals and chugging guitars perfectly mimic classic Ramones; "Fly Away", straight out of The Sundays' greatest hits bag-o-tunes (and wait 'till the chorus hits!); the manic "Under Construction", which, if you go by the urgent tempo and unrelenting buzz of the guitars, lets you know someone is really ready for the Los Angeles Zoo to reopen; and "Side by Side", which includes my favorite line: "It's good to know that I might fall/ But it's worth it if I try", a good philosophy for both learning to ride a bike and for life in general.

The Kennedys' empathietic lyrics about kid concerns like friendship, courage, bicycles, bedtime, dreams, zoos, and, of course, juice boxes, show a great talent for writing from and relating to a child's perspective. Musically, the songs on Best Friends are shaded with light brushstrokes of George Harrison, Sloan, the Sundays, the Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, Smashing Pumpkins, Blondie, the Ramones, and, yes, (even their website admits it) the Carpenters.

In my opinion, here's what makes Best Friends a successful album: the songwriters wrote great songs, they didn't try to write what they thought everyone thinks a kids' song should be; they produced the album with their own ears, and didn't try to create a glossy soundtrack to a kids' tv show. These guys could fill both the Lower East Side's Bowery Ballroom with hipster post-college musicheads, and Brooklyn's Willy Bee's Family Lounge with toddlers and their grownups. Great tunes, great production (especially the drums), great debut CD.

***Elizabeth Mitchell***

You know you're doin' somethin' right when Smithsonian Folkways comes a-knockin'. And I'm pretty sure this label is well aware they have the next Ella Jenkins on their hands.

Anyone who is familiar with Elizabeth Mitchell's work wouldn't expect anything less than brilliance on her newest CD, You Are My Little Bird, and she certainly delivers. Your hipster buddies will perk up their ears when they hear covers of the Velvet Underground, Bob Marley, and Neil Young, and find out that John Sebastian helped out a little bit musically. My only complaint is that the CD comes with such thorough liner notes, it took some of the fun out of researching the song sources! So instead of having to read my boring descriptions, just play the CD and dig her minimalist version of "Three Little Birds", the a cappella "Little Liza Jane" and "Grassy Grass Grass", the acoustic rock and roll of "What Goes On", and her beautifully ethereal "If You Listen", a song originally recorded by Francoise Hardy and written by a pre-Foreigner Mick Jones (!).

Having become as adept as the aforementioned Ms. Jenkins at song collecting and interpretation, Elizabeth Mitchell is certainly in a position to become one of America's great music voices. This album is the aural equivalent of gauzy curtains billowing in the summer breeze, so, put it on, enjoy the vibe, and be happy about the fact that together you and your kids can listen to wonderfully performed music penned by writers as disparate as Woody Guthrie, Lou Reed, and Vashti Bunyan. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

***Mister Laurence***

There's a musical legend living in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, R. Stevie Moore, who pretty much invented the D.I.Y. ethic in the late 60s, early 70s. Since that time, he has recorded literally hundreds of cassette tapes, vinyl LPs, and CDs, all chock full of his off-kilter yet brilliantly perfect pop compositions, writing, playing, recording, and producing everything himself.

Tucked away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is Laurence Bond Miller, aka Mister Laurence, the children's music version of R. Stevie Moore. Since 1999 Miller has released five CDs, Flaghorn, Tugboat Tow, Bubbleland, Pure Gibberish!, and Recess Forever!, with another, Marmaline, to be released soon. I can't recommend one CD over another, so browse Mr. L's witty, silly website and check out the awesomeness of individual tracks like "Bubbleland", "Recess Forever", "Is There an Echo in the Room?", "Little Flower", "Jack 'N' Jill's Hill", and the Zen sentiments of "The Sky is in the Sky!" and "We Won't Be Afraid" (Even if we are afraid / We won't be afraid).

The only group who comes close to his combination of inventiveness and quirkiness is They Might Be Giants, who would be well advised to team up with Mister Laurence and create the greatest kids' album ever. Hey, it could happen!

***Josh Levine***

Let's see, what are the odds of coming across a kids' performer who just happens to work regularly with a legendary Cuban musician? Pretty good, actually, if you're in Manhattan! Professional bassist Josh Levine has combined the varied influences from his rich musical background to create what might be the kids' album most likely to induce spontaneous salsa dancing.

For his debut children's CD, Josh Levine for Kids, Levine put together a collection of traditional tunes, originals, and incredibly interesting cover songs. Double-tracked vocals, thick harmonies, generous use of a Venezuelan cuatro, and, of course, a booming acoustic bass, all recorded in Levine's apartment (let's hear it for indie rock!), make for a hugely entertaining album.

You get a great idea of what to expect for the rest of the album when Florentino Ruiz Carmona's "Tiburon" bursts from the speakers. Levine also covers Bill Staines' classic kids' song "A Place in the Choir", and Gil Raldiris' perfect preschool singalong activity tune "Mi Cuerpo Hace Musica". Again, an album full of traditional songs could go horribly boring, but wow, Levine really puts a spicy twist on oldies like "Jump Jim Joe", "I Am a Pumpkin", "The Hokey Pokey", "This Land is Your Land", "If You're Happy and You Know It", and even "Cumpleanos Feliz".

Levine contributes an impressive handful of originals, including the world-as-global-community message of "A Real Bouquet", cowritten with Edith Segal; and the joyous "I've Got Music in My Soul". Of course as a professional bass player, Levine made sure the low end was pushed to the forefront, and rightfully so. Every song sounds stronger for it, and seems to make the album even more of a hip shaking, hand clapping experience.

In the grownup music world, Levine performs with Son Amigos, a trio that includes legendary guitarist Jose Luis Martinez, who was an early member of the groundbreaking Cuban band Los Van Van, and can also be heard throughout the New York City area performing with the quartet Los Acustilocos, with songwriter/musician Angus Martin, and with vocalist Francine Morin ... busy, busy guy!

Full of short, intimate performances (four songs come in under the one-minute mark!) Josh Levine for Kids is a great, great resource for toddler and preschool programming, as well as a flat-out fun album to listen to loudly at home. Warn your downstairs neighbors, though: uncontrolled dancing is guaranteed!

***Enzo Garcia***

With an earthy voice remarkably similar to Burl Ives', and a one-man-band arsenal of instruments, San Francisco-based children's entertainer and musical educator Enzo Garcia presents his ninth (ninth!) CD of kids' music, LMNO Music-Pink.

Garcia constantly develops new movement and music programs for his LMNO Music sessions, and the resulting songs are translated to CD. If you scan the titles on this and other LMNO Music albums, you'll notice that many of the tunes are traditional songs, which can be a tricky thing for most performers. But Garcia makes these songs his own, convincing you that he wrote "Jim Along Josie", "Looby Loo", and "Trot Old Joe" himself.

The spoken word chants "Here is the Sea" and "Let's Make Pizza" are reminiscent of Woody Guthrie's classic LP Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child. And the fact that he makes slight changes in the chord progressions of his "Hello" and "Goodbye" songs shows that Garcia doesn't take his audience's intelligence for granted: even the tiniest kid can differentiate between the beginning and the end of the program by the music, even if he or she can't speak yet. But the gem of the album is Garcia's own "Hold My Hand", one of those songs that makes you sing along loudly and dance in circles with your loved ones every time you hear it.

Intimate, rhythmic, and wonderfully played, Enzo Garcia's LMNO Music-Pink is a fun album that belongs in every home, classroom, and Toddler Time collection. Another classic from the west coast!

***Mr. David***

When I initially heard about this CD and it's artist, there was talk of "the Bob Dylan of Children's Music", the kind of overgeneralized assessment that, say, People Magazine would give any performer who plays acoustic guitar. But the first time, the second time, the third time I listened to this album I couldn't believe what I was hearing: Stream of consciousness songs; rhythmless rhythms; almost impromptu backing vocals; world music, but not from this world; and a vocal delivery that lets you know this artist is not performing for label owners, music reviewers, or distribution managers ... he's performing music from his heart for himself, and if you dig it, cool. And that is precisely what Dylan would have done.

David Alexandrou (aka Mr. David) kicks off The Great Adventures of Mr. David with what seems at first to be a typical kids' song, with lyrics about making a sandwich (albeit with peanut butter from the sky and a blueberry jellyfish), but as he strums along and the lyrics become more Dadaist you begin to get the hint that something special is going on. It seems a recent trip to Mexico, among other events, made a profound impact on Alexandrou's outlook on life, and that shift in perspective has been translated to The Great Adventures. Scenes from a cabana, epic stories of the sea, a wildly enthusiastic original version of "La Cucaracha", Zen observations of the joys of a backyard ... the sound is so laid back, sometimes, that it seems like David's backing band, particularly the horns, are recording their parts while leaning back against a stucco-walled cafe with a frozen drink close at hand. And the rich, organic production gives the recordings an even more intimate feel.

Wonder what kind of kids' song Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass might have come up with? Listen to "Hello". Then "Come To the Plaza" and join the unbridled joy found therein, discuss the philosophical musings of lizards and fish as they contemplate their existence, wonder at a grandson's profound faith in the healing powers of his dinosaur sippy cup, and marvel at the precious treasure that is a home run ball.

And then comes the good stuff. Percussion instruments appear and disappear during the surreal and beautiful "In the Storm, Fighting the Octopus"; and rhythms chase each others' tails throughout the best cosmic beach song Brian Wilson never wrote, "Surf's Up All Around the World". And David's "Mother Goose Medley" combines powerpop and minimalism to create a string of tunes that seems like a child dreaming about memories of songs he's heard that day.

This is a great one to listen to on your iPod while lounging on the beach with your toes in the sand, or relaxing on the living room couch in the middle of the afternoon with your little ones. Another indie rock masterpiece that kids, grownups, college students ... that everyone will fall more in love with every time they listen to it.

***E-CLEC-TRIC Classroom***

A man, his dog, and his guitar ... no, not the dog's guitar, the man's ... see, a dog can't ... nevermind. This is kids' music unplugged, really unplugged. But Rob Levitt pulls it off wonderfully, making the listener believe he is singing only to him. Boys and girls, the E-CLEC-TRIC Classroom Presents: Buster & Rob and Other Cool Kids' Songs!

Rob is a Kindergarten teacher at Shady Grove Elementary in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and has mastered the art of writing lyrics from his students' points of view. Songs like "Polite", "I Like Me", and "Responsibility" detail the joy and excitement of growing up, and the hard work that comes with getting older. "Snow Day", "Show & Tell", "Cloudsong", and "Math" (which bears a more than passing resemblance to the structure of the Beastie Boys' song "Girls") are great snapshots of days and moments in the lives of six- and seven-year-olds. Even the way Rob manages to smoosh lots of words into the lines of some of his songs reminds you of the rush of dialogue that sometimes erupts from a little kid's mouth. A good example can be found in the song "Responsibility", in which a young student observes "It's not the mailman's job to bring in my folder / Or the lady who smiles and takes my lunch money / It's not a job for my dog, who chews my homework to bits at night / It's a job for me."

A yardstick I use to measure the quality of songs is to imagine a converse presentation of an album. In other words, listen to an album of heavily-produced songs and imagine them stripped down to the point of being played on an acoustic guitar. If they still sound good, then they're good songs (some of David Bowie's later songs are good examples). On the other hand, take an acoustic album and picture the songs being played by a full group, like the E Street Band or Tom Petty's Heartbreakers. If the songs still seem like they would rock, then they're good songs. Rob's CD falls into the latter category, and it would actually be really cool to hear full-on rock and roll versions of these songs.

In a genre of children's music that sometimes has trouble keeping a listener's interest, Rob Levitt's solo acoustic CD is heads and shoulders above the rest, delivering a collection of funny, interesting, and relevant songs that early Elementary kids will get and parents will dig. Let's hope Buster & Rob is the first of many great kids' albums from Rob.