The Imagination Movers were essentially kindie before kindie became cool. Created in the early 2000s, the Lousiana-based band independently released 3 albums of kids' pop-rock before being recruited by Disney for their eponymous TV show on Playhouse Disney (now Disney Junior).
Their latest album Back in Blue is released by Disney and features songs from the third season of the TV show, along with unreleased tracks written for the show. For the most part, the tracks hew closely to the rock-pop formula that served them so well on the show (and live). Given their origins as music written for the show, the songs have more of an educational/plot-driven feel (not to mention an ever-so-slightly younger age focus and an average sub-2-minute-per-song length). But the Movers take pride in writing and playing all their own material, and it's clear they haven't sacrificed their love of the rock of their own youth (you'll have to ask the band whether "On Your Marks" is just an homage to Tom Petty's "Don't Do Me Like That"; you won't need to ask at all what "Gotta Get Your Work Done" is an homage to).
The 26-track, 47-minute album is most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 6. I preferred their previous album, the post-Disney Rock-O-Matic, to this one, as it felt freer, sillier, and less plot-driven, and if you're not familiar with the band or the show, that might be the better entry point. (I'm pretty that that album was written after this one.) But if you liked that album and -- especially -- if you're a fan of the show, then you should try this one, too. Recommended.
Note: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review.
