We Have Ourselves A Ralph's World Winner!

I've randomly selected a winner from all our fine applicants in the Ralph's World contest, and that winner is Lynn, who in her entry said:
My dream would be to see Ralph in San Francisco at the Fillmore because, well, just because it would be almost historic. But since we are actually lucky enough to be here in Ralph's home town of Chicago our real pick is the House of Blues in Chicago. It's impossible to choose just 3 songs, but here goes: 1. Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum because the kids have such a blast dancing to it; 2. Riding With No Hands because it captures both childhood and parenthood so well; and 3. Honey for the Bears because it is just fun.
I hope Ralph is taking notes for his March 3rd show in Chicago... Many, many thanks to all the entrants. Even if you didn't win (heck, even if you did win, Lynn), you can order tickets for the tour by clicking on the link below. rw_437x60.jpg Thanks again to Ralph for the tickets!

Review: Park Slope Parents The Album (Vol. 1) - Various Artists

ParkSlopeParentsVol1.jpgCompilations are notoriously hard things to compile. Any fool can put together a CD of good or popular songs, but their appeal as a single entity often fades after time. (Really, who listens to those Now! CDs, like, six months later?) The key is finding some loosely unifying theme or spirit to guide the collection. Park Slope Parents The Album (Vol. 1) has just enough theme to carry the day. The 17-track collection plucks chooses songs old and new, released and not, from mainly New York City artists. There are a few tracks that deal with life in New York City -- David Weinstone (Music for Aardvarks) contributes his simple "Subway" ("Bing bong / the doors open on the train / bing bong / All the people pile in") while Michael Leyden has a more rocking take in "I Hear a Train." Any compilation should also be measured by how well it does in helping you to discover new artists, rediscover chestnuts from old artists, and getting new tracks from your favorite artists. In terms of discovering new artists, Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel's "The Season Song" is a perfect pop tune from an adult band (whose members both teach in schools) writing a kids' song (specifically for this album). Dan Zanes contributes the "The Monkey's Wedding" from his Parades and Panoramas disk while Daniel Schorr's "Good Boy with a Bad Reputation" (off his first album) is a great example of his countryfied Dwight Yoakam-esque rock. And the new tracks. These, my friends, are why you should get yourself on the CDBaby waiting list and order the disk. Smack dab in the middle of the disk are two great new cuts. The Deedle Deedle Dees contribute their ode to New York City roadways (had to balance out the public transportation songs, I suppose) with "Major Deegan," which was recorded for their upcoming album. The loping song sounds timeless, especially with those "whoo-whoo's". And The Quiet Two continue their surreal attack on kids' music with the loopy and giddy "When I Dream." AudraRox's reggae song of tolerance "Moms & Dads" and the sometimes-out-of-control (in a good way) "Drunken Sailor" contributed by Astrograss (with backing vocals from AudraRox's Audra and Jen) are just as good. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the sweetest track, the album closer "Fools Will Try." Somehow these Brooklyn parents got Ralph Covert to contribute a track from his 1997 album Birthday, and it's nothing less than some of the best advice you can give to a child. This is one of those songs that should appear on a lot of new parents' mix CDs... The album is probably most appropriate for kids 3 through 8 (who probably don't care less about the appropriateness of a compilation and who just care whether a CD has good songs, which this one does in spades). The album is a fundraiser for Park Slope Parents, an informational website for parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn. For those of you who don't live in New York City, I'd recommend the CDBaby page, where you can hear samples. (The cover, by the way, is by children's author and illustrator Mo Willems, who contributes drawings that are more "Knuffle Bunny" than "Pigeon.") Though collected for kids living in New York City, Park Slope Parents The Album (Vol. 1) is appropriate for families visiting New York City, learning about New York City, oh, heck, lovers of good music. It's a great collection of music and it's definitely recommended.

Contest: Win Ralph's World / House of Blues Tour Tickets

Sure, you've had your chance to win tickets for the upcoming Ralph's World tour of House of Blues venues across the United States. But you haven't had a chance to provide Ralph suggestions as to what he should play during this, the first tour of a kids music artist in House of Blues venues (including San Francisco's Fillmore and Portland's Aladdin Theatre). Kinda cool, no? So, here are the rules. By 8 PM MST Thursday, January 25, in the comments below list which city you'd like to see Ralph's World in and the three songs your family would like to see the band play. (If you want to explain why, go ahead!) The winner will be picked at random and notified at the e-mail address you provide when you make the comment. The winner will receive 4 tickets to the concert of his or her choice on the tour below. Four tickets! Sweet! If you don't win (or even if you do), you can get more info on the tour and order tickets by clicking on the link below. rw_437x60.jpg 2/3/2007 House of Blues Anaheim, CA 2/4/2007 Fillmore San Francisco,CA 2/10/2007 House of Blues San Diego, CA 2/11/2007 Aladdin Theatre Portland,OR 2/17/2007 House of Blues West Hollywood,CA 2/18/2007 Moore Theatre Seattle,WA 2/24/2007 House of Blues Las Vegas,NV 2/25/2007 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO 3/3/2007 House of Blues Chicago, IL 3/4/2007 Somerville Theatre Somerville,MA 3/10/2007 House of Blues Cleveland,OH 3/11/2007 Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia,PA 3/17/2007 House of Blues - Orlando Lake Buena Vista, FL 3/18/2007 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA 3/24/2007 House of Blues - Music Hall New Orleans,LA 3/25/2007 The Pageant St. Louis, MO

Review: Welcome To Ralph's World - Ralph's World

WelcomeToRalphsWorld.jpgI don't think I'm the only person who, when they saw the cover to the latest Ralph's World album, Welcome To Ralph's World when I say that my first thought upon seeing the album cover was, "Where's Giselle Potter?" She drew all six album covers for Ralph's World, and her replacement by illustrator Jim Paillot for this, Ralph Covert's first album with Disney, is akin to the Wiggles deciding that they wanted to wear black, brown, white, and green shirts or the Yankees abandoning the pinstripes deciding to trot out solid blue uniforms. It's unlikely, however, that people would like (or dislike) the Wiggles or Yankees based on their choice of clothing -- it's their actions or songs that give them such cultural cachet. In the world of kids' music (the Wiggles aside), Ralph Covert is about as big as they get. There's not another kids' artist who in the past decade has recorded more great songs. Some artists might have a better album or two but don't have the breadth (They Might Be Giants' 2 kids' CDs, for example) while other artists aren't quite aiming for the "kids' music" target (Dan Zanes). But the world of independently-created kids' music has been, up to now, somewhat isolated from the broad American culture, and Disney, by adding Ralph's World to its lineup, is attempting to branch out. So I realize now that Welcome To Ralph's World is less a "greatest hits" album for his current fans as much as it an introduction to literally millions of families who don't already know his playful brand of kids'-themed (mostly) pop and rock. It does follow the greatest hits template, of course -- collect a number of good songs off each of his albums while adding one new track for the diehards -- but especially since Covert has not had videos on Noggin, the notion of "greatest hits" is somewhat odd. Does the 37-minute album collect his best stuff? For the most part, yes, including the garage rock of "Fee Fi Fo Fum" and "All I Want To Do Is Play" or the gleeful pop-rock of "Dance Around." It's too bad, though, that more songs from Covert's two most recent -- and best -- albums, Green Gorilla, Monster & Me and The Amazing Adventures of Kid Astro, didn't make the cut. "We Are Ants" or "I Don't Wanna" should be on the track listing. Beyond the track selections, the new song "With A Friend (The Pooh Song)" should dispel fears that Disney will completely change Covert's style. It's a retro-sounding pop/show tune that, while not an instant classic, is certainly a worthy addition to the Ralph's World canon. The videos on the accompanying 15-minute DVD, however, will probably only please those who have seen them repeatedly on the Disney Channel. They're not bad, and the kids joking around in the audience (including Covert's daughter Fiona) are having a good time, but aside from the backgrounds -- in the style of, yes, the album illustrator Jim Paillot -- they don't have much to recommend them, visually. Ralph's World music, particularly on this CD, which omits some of the tracks appealing to slightly older kids, will appeal mostly to kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear clips from a whole host of Ralph's World tracks at his music page. In the end, there are really three audiences for this review. The diehard Ralph-heads pre-ordered this album weeks ago -- this review is too late for them and wouldn't have affected their decision in any case. Casual fans who some of his albums in their collection can safely skip this collection without feeling like they're missing much. And for those of you out there discovering Ralph's World for the first time, this collection is recommended as a very good (and bargain-priced) introduction to one of kids' music finest songcrafters.

Ralph Covert and Eric Herman, Together At Last

No, not on record, but the one and only Ralph Covert of Ralph's World spoke with Eric Herman recently. Go here to hear the interview, which includes Covert's thoughts on songwriting, concert venues, and what he wants to be when he grows up. (He also has a made-for-the-Tonight-Show anecdote maybe 8-10 minutes into the interview worth the time just by itself.)