Greetings from Cloud 9 - The Whirlygigs

Artist: The Whirlygigs

Album: Greetings from Cloud 9

Age Range: Ages 3 through 6

Description: If you look back to the beginning of time… or, at least, the Time Before Kindie (i.e., 1999 or so), there were a lot more folk albums for kids, enough that one could subdivide them into subgenres.  Artists such as Taj Mahal and Buckwheat Zydeco offered a bluesier form of folk for the wee ones.

Those bluesy paths have become a little overgrown from too light use over, but Massachusetts artist Keith Wasserman (aka Mr. Whirly) is trying to make his own way.  On his debut full-length album, he mixes a little bit of blues with an earthy folk sound.  "Lookin' Out the Window" is a straight-up call-and-response blues while "Portabello Mushroom," with its kitchen sink percussion (not literally, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did) and nimble upright piano sound, is a conga strut.  The song subjects are grounded in everyday language and topics ("Tickle Machine" and "How Was Your Day") but also explore imaginative ideas such as on album closer "Sittin' on a Cloud."  (You can listen to the entire 35-minute album here.)

Greetings from Cloud 9 definitely has a retro sound, but it's not burnt in amber, either.  For families looking for a mellower kindie sound reminiscent of those Taj Mahal records (or perhaps a little bit like fellow New Englander Alastair Moock), this Whirlygigs album is worth exploring.  Recommended.

Singing Our Way Through: Songs for the World's Bravest Kids - Alastair Moock

Artist: Alastair Moock

Album: Singing Our Way Through: Songs for the World's Bravest Kids

Age Range: 2 through 10

Description: Whew. An album that grew out of the Boston-based singer-songwriter's experience with the leukemia diagnosis of one of his twin 5-year-old daughters, Singing Our Way Through might not be the first album a family thinks of to purchase for their own family, assuming that their family hasn't been struck with a serious disease.  And the first couple tracks, "I Am the Light" and "When I Get Bald," deal with cancer head-on.  But once you get past that, the songs just deal with tough times and humor in those tough times.  (I particularly liked "Have You Ever Been Jealous?," Moock's duet with Rani Arbo, in terms of a clear-eyed perspective from the sibling not  given the cancer diagnosis.)  Everything else I might say about the album I already said in my NPR review.  Stream the album here.  Highly recommended for families struggling with a serious disease, and definitely recommended for lots of other families, too.

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