Turkey Andersen 2 - Turkey Andersen

Turkey Andersen 2 album cover

Artist: Turkey Andersen

Album: Turkey Andersen 2

Age Range:

Description: The follow up "full-length" (at 18 minutes, it's barely 2 minutes longer than the debut EP) from the mysterious Turkey Andersen (could he be related to Northampton, Massachusetts musician Henning Ohlenbusch?) is every bit as whimsical as its predecessor.  I gravitate toward the sillier tracks, like the irrepressible "I'm Not Scared," whose narrator isn't scared of anything (e.g., ghosts)... especially in unrelated situations (e.g., in the supermarket juggling fruit).  But the dreamier tracks, like "Rhonda Bubbles" (which sounds like an ode to a toddler with a typically toddler-y mind of her own) and "What An Animal'll Do", have their own allure.

You can stream (and purchase) the 18-minute album here.  The mix of silly and sweet and pop-rock happiness is a very appealing concoction, perfect for the ride to and back from school.  Definitely recommended. 

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

Toddlerbilly Riot! - Matt Heaton

Toddlerbilly Riot cover

Artist: Matt Heaton

Album: Toddlerbilly Riot

Age Range: 3-7

Review: There are lots of pop-rock albums in the kids music world, but the rockabilly sound on prominent display on Massachusetts-based Matt Heaton's new album is rarer, and perhaps the chief reason to recommend it.  Heaton does draw on other sounds -- "Down By the Bay" gets a Drifters-like "Down By the Boardwalk" update, and Heaton's Americana/folk music instrumental chops are put to good use elsewhere -- but the surf rock sounds on "Go Stop Go" and (most memorably, at least lyrically) "Don't Drink the Water (Your Butt's Been In)" are its most distinctive.  You can stream the 34-minute album here.  The songs don't attempt to change the course of kids music, but there's just enough of a different sonic approach to make it worth exploring.  Recommended.

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

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.

It's Not Fair To Me - Bill Harley & Keith Munslow

Artists: Bill Harley & Keith Munslow 

Album: It's Not Fair To Me 

Age Range: 5 through 10

Description:  Let's see, an album featuring Harley and Munslow -- probably a somber, abstract, mostly instrumental album, right?

Of course not.

The two musicians have helped with each other's albums in the past, but this is the first featuring both of them equally.  Most of the ten songs on the 34-minute album go for humor, if not broad (the title track, featuring some very funny banter between the two, "Copycat") then just in attitude ("My Eraser," an ode to, yes, an eraser).  Their observations about squabbling siblings resonate because they're true to life generally (not just families.  Harley and Munslow know their way through slightly older musical styles, exemplified best by "Give Me Back My Hat," a rollicking 12-bar blues and one of the album's highlights.  The duo's enjoyment of the other's company is never more obvious than in the album closer, "Hideous Sweater."  Give it to your kids' aunt or uncle -- they'll understand.  Recommended.

Yes! - Wayne Potash

Artist: Wayne Potash

Album: Yes!​

Age Range: 3 through 6

Description:​ Boston-area musician Potash has always been a little retro in his approach -- no revved-up post-ironic alterna-pop for him, nosiree.  When I reviewed his 2005 album Don't Forget the Donut​, I praised his goofy lack of pretense, and time has not changed Potash's approach much.  Get past the lo-fi album cover and song titles like "I Like Trucks," which make it sound like the accompanying songs would be bereft of any creativity or production values, and you'll find some great preschooler tracks.  "I Like Trucks," for example, is a slow-moving country-folk song that is so ear-wormy and familiar that I could've sworn I'd heard it on a previous record.  I hadn't.  It is an instant transportation song classic, and "Allis Chalmers," a love song to a tractor with a great singalong chorus, is almost one as well.  Listen to clips from the 46-minute album here.  Rootsy originals and traditionals with a dash of classic rock, gentle and empathetic, Yes!​ is a sweet album for the wee ones.  Recommended.