Wishin' Volume 1 - Liz, Holly & the Jolly Lollies

Artist: Liz, Holly & the Jolly Lollies

Album:  Wishin' Volume 1

Age Range: 2 through 5

Description: Based in the Charlotte area, Liz Seegers and Holly Lorette are early childhood music teachers, so it's little surprise that their debut EP stays safely in that preschool age range.  Songs about transportation ("I Wish I Were an Airplane"), feeling OK when things go bad ("We All Have Bad Days"), a "Freeze!" song ("Wiggle Freeze") -- these are familiar topics for albums for this age range.

But there's something about this album that elevates it above a lot of the music I hear for this age range.  Maybe it's the slightly handmade sound, so it's not overproduced.  Maybe it's Seegers' and Lorette's voices, which are sweet but slightly nasally and sound lovely in harmony.  Maybe it's the fact that they offer up "Storm," which is more tone poem than song.  Maybe -- probably -- it's all three of those things.  Whatever, it just works.

You can listen to clips and one full song from the 16-minute album (hey, I said it was an EP!) here.  The duo is currently raising money via Kickstarter for Volume 2.  Based on the evidence from Volume 1, I'm looking forward to hearing more.  Recommended.

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

I Will Go Into the Day - Caroline Herring

Artist: Caroline Herring

Album: I Will Go Into the Day

Age Range: 4 through 8

Description: The story of how Herring went from Kickstarting two albums based on children's literature to releasing this album of new material and a couple folk song covers is a long and, for Herring, very frustrating one.  (Short version: children's book authors and publishers can be very possessive of their creations.)

But that doesn't mean the end result is frustrating to listen to.  Songs like "Make It Yourself," with a kids' chorus, and "Today," are exuberant, while some tracks like "Music of the Mountains" are more thoughtful.  (You can listen to the album over at Bandcamp.)  A solid 32-minute album of folk music for families, with a theme of exploring the world near and far gently but firmly threading its way through the entire 11-song set.  Fans of her previous album for families, The Little House Songs, will find her strong voice and warm arrangements in fine form.  Recommended.

If I Were An Otter - Alice DiMicele

Artist: Alice DiMicele 

Album: If I Were An Otter: Songs for Kids of All Ages

Age Range: 

Description:  An album for you old-school folk music fans.  DiMicele, who hails from Medford, Oregon (at the state's southern border), has a slightly raspy voice that serves her well when she gets into bluesy/country territory such as on "Honey Bee Blues" and her duet with Vince Herman, "City Mouse/Country Mouse.  DiMicele dips into the folk songbook for well-known tunes as "This Little Light of Mine," "The Garden Song" ("Inch by inch, row by row..."), and "The Monkey and the Engineer."  Her originals are just as positive -- "We Can Be Anything" and "Celebrate the Rain" are as optimistic as their titles.  Amidst all these good vibes, I liked the title track, silly and playful.  The album (funded on Kickstarter, incidentally) will appeal most to kids ages 3 through 7; you can stream the album here.  Families looking for an amped-up 21st century sound, this isn't for you, but if you're looking for an a solid album of Americana-tinged folk music suitable for families of all ages, If I Were An Otter  will probably hit your sweet spot.  Recommended.

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