2011 has been a fabulous year for children’s music. With help and thanks from Parents’ Choice Award® judges Lynne Heffley and Lahri Bond, we’re pleased to present twelve terrifically tuneful CDs from the year’s most talented children’s music artists.
- Ages: Infant - 4 yrs.
- Producer: Craig N Co.
- CD Price: $15.00
Guitarist/singer Craig Taubman has gathered together an impressive lineup of musicians for this stunning album of Jewish lullabies for younger children. While many of the songs are certainly specific to Jewish traditions, there is a universality to this set of songs that make it an accessible and enjoyable album for people of all faiths and cultures. A Parents’ Choice Silver Award winner.
What continues to set children’s artists Bobs and Lolo (Robyn Hardy and Lorraine Pond) apart is the sense of light-hearted frolic that infuses their child-savvy message songs, which are written with producer-arranger Mario Vaira. A child’s day is measured out in a clock’s cheerful "Tick Tock." "This is How We Roll" is a playful observation of everyday rocks and dirt. "Family Tree" is a soulful reminder of belonging and time passing. A Parents’ Choice Silver Award winner.
Elizabeth Mitchell - Sunny Day
Fresh as a spring morning and gentle as a soft mountain breeze, this "handmade" music from the full heart of folk artist Elizabeth Mitchell embraces family, tradition and the simple pleasures of time spent together. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
Planting Seeds is singer/songwriter Maria Sangiolo's fourth album for children and features her friends, which include many leading lights of the New England folk music scene. The new CD focuses on the themes of locally based agriculture and sustainability, and does so with a sense of style, grace and fun rarely found in children's or adult music. As an added bonus, a portion of all the proceeds from the recording will benefit NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farming Association. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
Buckle your seatbelts - it's time for take-off with Imagination Generation from David Kisor. Using cool sound effects, inventive instrumentation, funny lyrics and great vocal work, David has put together a creative tool for encouraging kids to use their imaginations. More than pure silliness, the album cover encourages listeners to use their imagination as a "toy and tool" that can "craft creative solutions to complex problems". A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
- Ages: Infant - 6 yrs.
- Producer: Hullabaloo
- CD Price: $12.00
As the title suggests, this CD uses the motif of going on an extended trip to showcase thirteen overwhelmingly positive, country-tinged songs. "Car Dance Song" celebrates the joys that the limited mobility of auto safety devices can provided, when looked at the right way. "10-4 Good Buddy" is an ode to big trucks and their drivers, while "Drive with Me" is a sweet call and response song that might become an instant in-car classic with your family. A Parents’ Choice Silver Award winner.
A delicious new CD comes from ascending kindie rock stars The Jimmies. Singer-songwriter Ashley Albert leads the group. Effervescent word play, child savvy themes, and remarkable ease with multiple musical genres have become the group's trademark. Songs traverse genres from cool jazz through hot pop and funky rap. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
The Austin, Texas based Lucas brings a solid science background to his "Singing Zoologist" act and the songs are both highly educational and highly entertaining. Beginning with the rocking title track, Lucas quickly establishes that being "green" can be fun. Other highlights include the Tex-Mex fueled "Chimichanga Song," the marvelously silly one-liners in the "The Prairie Chicken Boogie," and the reggae-flavored fun of "Metamorphosis (Tadpole into a Frog)" song. A Parents’ Choice Silver Award winner.
An original, an exceptionally creative and musically astute children's artist singer-guitarist Frances England takes songs about balloons, bicycles and "Vacation Delights" in fresh, melodic and lyric directions. "Ladybug" is one of many beautiful tracks that celebrate how closely children observe and relate to their immediate world. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
Cousins Jamboree is decidedly energetic. Songs such as "Howdy Hello," "Hang on Friend," "I Love Apples," and the fun loving title track all exude country warmness and good time celebration. When Harris turns her pen to such "lesson" songs as "Good Manners," "Seatbelt Buckled," and "A Little Bit Afraid," she does so with style. A Parents’ Choice Silver Award winner.
Exuberant, big-hearted singer-songwriter-guitarist Brady Rymer has become one of the most appealing children's music artists working today. With a responsive rock 'n roll band and a sensitive ear for the joys and cares of children as they grow, Rymer takes inspiration here from his many years of concert performances for children with autism and similar disorders. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
With rich jazz piano bounce and a brilliant use of vocabulary and wordplay reminiscent of Michael Franks, singer-songwriter-musician Lori Henriques performs cool, quirky and wise observational songs about growing pains and expanding horizons. Henriques' musical inventiveness and keen eye for life's ups and downs are a stellar combination. Older children in particular will find much to relate to here. A Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner.
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