It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans.
- Lt. Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad
Well, here they are, the kids music nominees for the 56th Grammys:
Blue Clouds - Elizabeth Mitchell & You Are My Flower (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) (review)
The Mighty Sky - Beth Nielsen Chapman (BNC Records)
Recess - Justin Roberts (Carpet Square Records) (review)
Singing Our Way Through: Songs For The World's Bravest Kids - Alastair Moock & Friends (Moockshake Music) (review)
Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well - Jennifer Gasoi (Sparkling Productions) (review)
Yes, it's (almost) time once again for the Grammys, the annual hill of beans recognizing the music industry's best and favorite albums of the year. The list of the five kids' music albums is a solid, solid list. Some quick thoughts:
I'd sort of forgotten about Blue Clouds, thinking that Mitchell's collaboration with Dan Zanes (Turn Turn Turn) might have more oomph. (Edit: Turn Turn Turn was actually placed by NARAS on the folk music slate, from which it didn't get nominated.) But the Folkways connection of the album could not have hurt, promotionally, either. (That, and it's a great album.)
I can't say I'm as big a fan of The Mighty Sky as of the other nominees, but it's decent and certainly not a "where in the world did that come from?" choice.
I should probably actually publish my year-end "best of" lists (it's coming, I promise!) before saying this, but Recess was one of my two favorite albums of the past (Grammy) year.
In addition to having a great story, Singing Our Way Through is also a reeeeeallly good album.
While probably the least familiar name to American audiences, Jennifer Gasoi has been nominated for this award before. Or, at least, the Canadian equivalent. Most recently for this very album. (And, yes, Throw A Penny in the Wishing Well is really good, too.)
Picking a winner -- and who you want to win -- will be especially tough this year. But any of those nominees would make a fine winner.
