***Lisa Loeb***

Camp songs? Nifty pop tunes? And the theme to Meatballs?!? Hot dawg, I'm there! Lisa Loeb's latest contribution to the kids' music world is a unique work of art, indeed. Camp Lisa is a departure from the quiet folk tunes of Catch the Moon, her 2004 collaboration with Elizabeth Mitchell. This time 'round, Loeb's songs are aimed squarely at an 8 to 12 year old audience, and resemble more her previous releases for grownups.

Camp Lisa is more or less a concept album about arriving at summer camp, making friends, singing songs, and having to say goodbye to those friends at the end of the season. Songs like "Best Friend," "When It Rains," and "It's Not Goodbye" are great pop tunes, worthy of Top 40 radio play, while the folky "Going Away" and a cover of Neil Young's country rock classic "Love Is a Rose" add to the quality of the collection.

Kids will get a kick out of camp favorites like "Peanut Butter and Jelly," " Wake Up Song," "Father Abraham," and "Cookie Jar Song," while parents will appreciate Loeb letting them in on the fun with the inclusion of funnyman Steve Martin's banjo work on "The Disappointing Pancake," and a totally rockin' cover of "Are You Ready for the Summer?", the theme song to the 1979 camp flick Meatballs. Great project from an alternative pop hero for your tweens.

***They Might Be Giants***

Another oldie worth spotlighting again is They Might Be Giants' 2002 kids' debut, No! Over the course of listening to No!, we find out that "The Edison Museum" is useful as both an historical site and a creepy place to be sent if you're naughty, and that "John Lee Supertaster"'s diet has to be extra bland to accommodate his sensitive tastebuds. The Appalachian acapella story-song is updated with "I Am Not Your Broom", and "Clap Your Hands" is probably the greatest Toddler Time singalong song that Wilson Pickett never made.

The most awesome thing about this album is that the songs can pretty much be interchanged with songs from their best TMBG "adult" albums. A world controlled by kid-created robots, the mystery of balloon manufacturing, making sure to cross the street at the corner: yes, TMBG explore the imagination of a child without insulting the kid or annoying the parent. What other children's album ends with a fist-pumping anthem to the pros of beddybyetime?

A Good Beginning Never Ends

Last Friday, I had the privilege of a visit from Cindy Bousman, a representative from Kindermusik International and an experienced and intuitive Kindermusik educator. Cindy agreed to accompany me to Everyday Blessings, a residential foster facility that houses approximately 35 foster children. I have offered Kindermusik classes to the children there off and on for the last four years. Many of these children have faced unspeakable hardships in their young lives and desperately need someone to love and encourage them.

It had rained heavily for several days before our class, and the children were particularly in need of an outlet. It was one of those classes where you put on the music and hang on for dear life! Afterward Cindy and I reflected on the experience, and I have thought about our conversation several times since. One thing she said that has stuck with me, was how sad she felt for the children. It's true. There have been many times that something they will say or do almost haunts me, but that is what keeps me coming back. You see, if you look under the Kindermusik logo, you will see the tag line, "A good beginning never ends", and in this case it is especially true. If you were to have the pleasure of joining me in class, you would see the joy that comes over their faces when we walk in the room. They can leave other things behind and have the freedom to express their creativity and truly enjoy the music as only a child can. They find in a Kindermusik class, a place where all children are welcomed and valued. I know that I am playing a part in giving them a new beginning, one that will truly never end. This year, Kindermusik will celebrate its 30th birthday, and as we celebrate, my birthday wish goes out to these very special children.

***Jamie Barnett***

Jamie Barnett's 2004 album, Just Look At You, is full of tiny treasures: check out Jamie’s playful, inventive lyrics; his deep, ringing acoustic guitar; his beautifully arranged tunes – like Leo Kottke without the fretboard gymnastics, and John Prine without the piss and vinegar.

Murrieta, California, educator Jamie Barnett sings songs about sledding, eating pancakes, folding clothes, hanging out with Dad as he visits various members of the extended family, all under the umbrella philosophy of living life in the moment, appreciating even the smallest events and tiniest slices of time we have together.

Feeling down? A little blue? That’s ok, “My Laughter” reminds us that our smiles are always right under our noses, and that if we just “Step Outside” every once in a while, we will notice the beautiful world all around us. One of the best tunes is “Sun Shines”, a serene song on which Jamie’s niece Alyssa sings. You can’t even call this song a “lullabye”; it’s more like a mantra, a Zen way of looking at life.

Both the title track and “Big Brown Eyes” are great examples of Jamie’s living-life-in-the-now immediacy, while “381 Days” gives kids the facts about the Montgomery bus boycott and encourages them to ask questions about our history and the choices we made. Just Look At You is a very personal CD, from the family photos to the singing help to the philosophies of life. A beautiful album with a beautiful message.

***Rik Barron***

This, folks, is as close as yer gonna get to a Waylon Jennings kids' album. Newfoundland folk and roots music veteran Rik Barron uses his considerable talents to create Shine, a wonderfully rustic album for children. Barron's quavering baritone is very reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, and his quiet, almost conversational delivery fits his material perfectly.

Barron's choice of cover songs adds to Shine's quality: Butch Hancock's "My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own," Iris DeMent's "Let the Mystery Be," Duncan Wells' "Shine," the Jimmie Davis classic "Nobody's Darlin but Mine," and a traditional tune made popular by Raffi, "To Everyone in All the World." Banjos, open-tuned guitars, and a strong collection of tunes make Shine a great CD for kids and their grownups. Like Barron's liner notes say, this isn't a party album: gather the family 'round and listen to this one around the fireplace or out on the front porch.

***Peter Rundquist***

As soon as I saw he covered Syd Barrett's "Effervescing Elephant," I knew I was gonna like Peter Rundquist's Bug Feathers: Songs for Folks Young and Old. Think a more electrified and funky version of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia's Not for Kids Only, especially on "Wake Up Mama." Bug Feathers' sound could also be compared to the folky eclecticism of Mr. David's Jump in the Jumpy House, or the rootsy New Orleans vibe of Johnny Bregar's Hootenanny.

But don't think Rundquist's style is derivitive or old hat: he brings a completely unique take to oldies like "The Fox," "Over in the Meadow," and "The Barnyard" (aka "Fiddle-I-Fee"), complete with animal and insect sounds. And the joy exuding from "Last Chance Dance" and the title track are worth the price of the album alone. Marimbas, reverbed guitars, ukuleles, dobros, and filtered vocals add to the distinctiveness of Bug Feathers, a CD that would be right at home on the Rounder or Folkways labels. A winner!

***Shad Weathersby & Mike Artell***

Yeah, you right! It's party time with Calling All Children to the Mardi Gras!, featuring Louisiana natives Shad Weathersby and Mike Artell. Weathersby is a respected New Orleans music veteran, and children's author Artell is best known for his books Three Little Cajun Pigs and Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood. Together they've created a rockin' celebration of all things Mardi Gras, from King Cakes to Fais-Do-Dos.

Calling All Children rises to the top because of one reason: even the youngest kids can sing along with these tunes without the band having to compromise the spirit and quality of the music. Plus, the songs are played by a real band, and the whole thing is ridiculously catchy! Man, you can't help but march along, drum along, shake along with these ditties, especially songs like "Here Comes the Big Parade," "Chicka Wah Wah," and "Mardi Gras Elementary." And "Up on the Ladder" is just a great song, no matter what genre it falls under.

Two bonus tracks include interviews with New Orleans kids talking about their memories of Mardi Gras, and author Mike Artell reading aloud his picture book Petite Rouge. A great CD for classrooms and families!

***Nat Hussey***

This is one of those gems that just comes out of nowhere. Not literally, but Matinicus Island in Penobscot Bay, Maine, is gettin' pretty close to the outskirts of nowhere. Nat Hussey's 2005 CD Papa Goose: Nursery Rhymes Fresh from Maine is as timeless as anything on Smithsonian's Folkways label, yet the arrangements are freshly contemporary.

Hussey has been recording and releasing music on his own since 1997, and, as with his grownup albums, Papa Goose (his first CD for kids) is based on everyday life in Maine. Some of these quiet, fingerpicking-style songs are so similar to James Taylor's classic sound, I'm surprised JT hasn't commissioned Hussey to write a few tunes for him.

Hussey's originals mix well with the folk tunes he chose to perform on Papa Goose, and the very Maine-centric, fun songs like "Critters Going Home," "I'm So Hungry!" and "Magic Rock (Maine Island Song)" are sure to grab yer kids' ears right away. "Sweep Away" sounds like a forgotten Paul Simon tune, and "The Seasons Change, Here in Maine" would be right at home on a James Taylor greatest hits album. Papa Goose is a beautiful, intimate, unforgettable CD for the whole family.