Radio Playlist: New Music October 2015

This is the busiest time of the year for releases in the kids music world -- I would've held a couple of these back just to make the list a little shorter... but next month's will probably be just as long.  If you want to catch my list from September you can see that playlist here.

As always, it's limited in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums.  But I'm always keeping stuff in reserve for the next Spotify playlist.

Check out the list here.

**** New Music October 2015 (October 2015 Kindie Playlist) ****

"Get Happy" - The Verve Pipe

"If You're Happy and You Know It" - Treva LaViva

"Breakfast Club (feat. Carly Ciaricchio)" - Tim Kubart

"Magic Elevator" - Hot Peas 'n Butter

"Love Is the Way" - Sunshine Collective

"All of the Colors" - Mil's Trills

"Bird's Tweets. Presto leggiero" - The Amazing Keystone Big Band

"Grapes" - Andrew & Polly

"Peach Tree" - Alex and the Kaleidoscope

"Verduras" - Jose-Luis Orozco

"Goin' to the Pool" - The Bug Family Band

"Speedy Hill" - Dad-a-Razzo

"This Land is Your Land" - Rolie Polie Guacamole

"The End" - Caspar Babypants

Itty-Bitty Review: Put Our Heads Together - Hot Peas 'N Butter

Hot Peas 'N Butter - Put Our Heads Together album cover

Hot Peas 'N Butter - Put Our Heads Together album cover

For about a decade now, the New York-based group Hot Peas 'N Butter have turned out a half-dozen albums of original music most distinctively characterized by a blend of sounds that I'd describe as global in nature.

Their latest album, Put Our Heads Together -- their seventh -- continues in that vein, lending a sound to kids music that is still somewhat unique.  While many other artists tackle a range of styles on a single album, and a handful like Dan Zanes or Mista Cookie Jar or Secret Agent 23 Skidoo will sometimes mix disparate styles on a single song, Danny Lapidus and his band really do blend Latin rhythm, bilingual lyrics, and modern global pop sounds together to create a bright sound.

This new album features uplifting, feel-good lyrics to go along with those bright sounds.  Tracks like album opener "Amistad," a duet with Dan Zanes, feature lyrics in Spanish and English that neatly illustrate the theme of friendship (which is what "Amistad" means in Spanish).  "Magic Elevator" weaves in an elevator "door-opening" sound into its story of a globe-trotting elevator.  "Colores" is another winning pop song.  And it's one of the better kids' albums at incorporating a kids' chorus with out getting too Kidz Bop-py.  I didn't think the album worked as well, though, when the lyrics were too on the nose -- "No Bullies" is too didactic for my tastes, and "Fresh Spokes" jams bike safety tips into a perfectly good song about the diversity of experience.

The 41-minute album will be most appropriate for kids ages 5 through 10.  Lapidus and crew write an effective pop song with a distinctive sound that's still somewhat rare in the kindie scene.  Put Our Heads Together isn't perfect, but there are enough tracks with a fresh, positive sound -- the majority of them, really -- to merit a spin.  Recommended.

Note: I received a copy of this album for possible review.

Weekly Summary (4/1/12 - 4/7/12)

Radio Playlist: New Music October 2012

Once again, I'm posting a Spotify update for some new music (see a playlist from a couple months ago here).  It's limited, of course, in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list.  Also, whereas I used to be able to post songs from albums that haven't been officially released, that's no longer an option.

Check out the list here or go right here if you're in Spotify.

**** New Music October 2012 (October Kindie Playlist) ****

Aaron Nigel Smith & One World Chorus – Man Gave Names

Barry G and The Dream Jam Kids – The Captain Was A Monkey

Hot Peas 'n Butter – Dream Away

Charity and the Jamband – Loving Kindness

Mister G – Ahorita

Alphabet Rockers – Dynamite

Hullabaloo - Look At You

Ozomatli – Moose On The Loose

Ben Rudnick and Friends – Love Is a Superpower

Elena Moon Park – Tum Tum Chuen