Is there another pair of voices in kids music who blend as sweetly as Renee and Jeremy? I submit to you the answer is no. This is one of the sweetest songs from C'mon, but if they sat around at home and sang the phone book, I'd listen. (Also, note: the last time they did this, Jeremy's hair was much shorter.)
Renee and Jeremy - "Is It Really Any Wonder?" - [YouTube]
Share: "Mama Papa Love" - Renee and Jeremy
I already told you how much I liked C'mon, the second album from the groovy duo Renee and Jeremy, and especially the track "Mama Papa Love" (or, alternately, "MamaPapaLove," depending on you feel about word spacing).
Well, I'm really glad to give you the opportunity to download that great track for free, courtesy of the duo. Just use the widget below, but do it in the next week, because by next Monday night, the opportunity will be gone once more... [Ed: And so it is... but you can still get a copy of the "C'mon" title track by using the widget below.]
Review: C'mon - Renee and Jeremy
The first time I heard Renee and Jeremy's It's A Big World more than 2 1/2 years ago, I instantly recognized how unique its sound was (read the review). Even if I thought it was just shy of being a timeless classic, it was definitely (and still is) a very important album in the resurgent genre, a completely modern lullaby album that was so intimate it sounded like it was recorded in the nursery. (Which it was, incidentally.)
But if lullaby albums are about the parents, the follow-up albums are about the kids, which brings us to C'mon, the recently-released second album from the duo of Renee Stahl and Jeremy Toback. Whereas the first album was designed to put everyone at ease, C'mon is designed for, well, if not dancing, then at least bobbing of heads. At times, the album is the grooviest thing you're going to hear until Sly and the Family Stone release their family music album, but it also retains just enough of the raw intimacy that gave It's a Big World such a distinctive sound (for example, Toback's "here we go" at the very start of the leadoff track, "Share"). But if you're looking for another hushed rendition of "Three Little Birds," you'll be surprised by the '80s pop and synthesized strings of songs like "Watch Where You're Going."
The songs are anchored by Stahl's beautiful voice, but Stahl and Toback duet more on this album than on its predecessor, usually to great effect ("Wishing Well" not only features Stahl and Toback duetting, but also multiple layers of Stahl's vocals). Fans of the first album might prefer the lullaby "Is It Really Any Wonder?." But for me the album's standout track is ELO-meets-the-playground "Mama Papa Love," which neatly turns the line "Mama loves you so much, baby / What you gonna do with that love? / Papa loves you so much, baby / What you gonna do with that love?" into "Baby loves you so much, mama, what you gonna do with that love?" It speaks straight to both parent and child and soars.
I'm a bigger fan of the music than the lyrics, which are generally simple, big on repeated choruses, and directed at kids with fairly obvious topics -- sharing ("Share") or delayed gratification ("Right Now"). The album is slightly more than the sum of its parts, as over its 33-minute run it sets up its groovy mood and sticks to it. The songs here are topically most appropriate for kids ages 2 through 6. You can get the physical copy exclusively (for the moment) at Barnes and Noble or digitally here.
Families who are fans of the first album should have no problem getting into C'mon after a listen or two. Neither should listeners new to the duo. It's a sweet treat of a disk. Definitely recommended.
Disclaimer:Renee & Jeremy provided me with a copy of the album for possible review.Video: "C'mon" - Renee & Jeremy
Love the song (which you can pick up here), but no matter how many times Renee and Jeremy spell the title track to their new album un-capitalized, here I go capitalizing it. Even though running around on a beach with a dog and kids is pretty much the epitome of non-capitalization...
Renee & Jeremy - "C'mon" [YouTube]
Listen To This: "C'mon" - Renee & Jeremy
Here it is, folks, the title track from the new Renee & Jeremy album, C'mon. As I mentioned before, the duo's using some interesting methods to distribute and promote their new album, due out November 10. They've hooked up with TopSpin, who among other albums, helped distribute the recent David Byrne/Brian Eno collaboration.
Anyway, to get a free mp3 of the title track -- and you want to get it, because it's a wonderfully zippy and slightly mellow song perfect for a fall morning -- just enter your e-mail in the widget below. And if you want to spread the word, just click on "share" below.
New Renee and Jeremy Album, C'mon, Due November 10
More than a year ago, Renee Stahl and Jeremy Toback, AKA Renee and Jeremy, said they were going into the studio to record It's A Big World! Well, a full change of seasons after Toback described the new album as "a little light, a little dark, like smores, the album has a name (C'mon), a release date (November 10), and, best of all, album art. Yes, that's Hsingping Pan's artwork gracing the cover once more, a cover which does indeed match the more uptempo nature of the new disk. (You can click here for a link to a couple stripped-down early versions of tracks from the new album.)
There'll be some interesting methods of distribution for this new album, but for the moment, the only other thing I have to share is the tracklist, which is after the jump...
