Book Review: Tito Puente: Mambo King / Rey del Mambo (Monica Brown / Rafael López

Author: Monica Brown 

Illustrator:  Rafael López

Age Range: 4 to 8

 Book: Tito Puente: Mambo King / Rey del Mambo 

Description: In bright, vivid colors and words to match the well-beloved Latin music legend, Brown and López tell the story of Puente's childhood and eventual decision to become a musician.  In this retelling, it's not so much a decision as it is a calling -- "Before he could walk, Tito was making music.  He banged spoons and forks on pots and pans, windowsills and cans."  It's not a terribly detailed biography, but there are some nice biographical touches (Tito's first band? "Los Happy Boys").  Displaying the text in both English and Spanish is a nice touch, and López's illustrations are vibrant.  (Watch a book trailer here.)  Recommended for fans of Puente and Latin music, or anyone seeking to expand their family's or classroom's musical knowledge beyond what is often in book form limited to rock and classical music.

Always Be a Unicorn - Helen Austin

Artist:  Helen Austin

Album:  Always Be a Unicorn

Age Range:  4 through 8

Description:  The British-born musician, now residing in British Columbia, Canada, recorded an album of poppy folk music that's kid-friendly without being "kids' music."  Even "All the Letters," which runs through the alphabet, wouldn't sound out of place on an album not filed under "Children."  (Indeed, the track "Treehouse" was already released on a non-kids album.)  The music has a bit of a music-box quality -- it's gentle but occasionally exuberant and anchored by Austin's warm songwriting and clear, distinctive voice.  (Listen to the album here.)  Nominated for Best Children's Album at the 2013 Junos, Unicorn  is recommended for those times when your family is seeking folk-pop that's more concerned with a kid's (or adult's) sense of emotional security rather than learning their letters.

Live from Brooklyn - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Artist: Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

Album:​ Live from Brooklyn

Age Range:​ 3 to 9

Description:​ Rymer's 2011 album Love Me For Who I Am​ was an album inspired by and to some extent recorded for students at a school for children with alternative learning styles, but its empathy and Rymer's genial roots-rock sound helped make that album have a wider appeal.  This live EP recorded that spring at Southpaw in Brooklyn draws primarily from that album, but also features Rymer's raved-up version of hit "Jump Up," the tender "I'm In Here," and one funky "Ding Dong."  And, as always, The Little Band That Could, who years ago I said "might just be the best-sounding band in kids music," still sounds pretty darn good.  Recommended, especially if your family has never heard or seen the band live.

[Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this album for possible review.]​

Family Values - Charity and the JAMband

Artist: Charity and the JAMband

Album: Family Values

Age Range: 4 to 8

Description: ​Don't let the peace sign on the album cover fool you.  Sure, the fifth album from San Francisco's Charity Kahn and her bandmates is filled with plenty of peace, love, and understanding -- heck, there's even a song titled "Flower Power."  But if you think that the music inside will be weak, you'd be wrong.  The aforementioned "Flower Power" has a muscular guitar chorus, and it's not the only track that begs to be played loudly out of a speaker (as long as the kids are wearing hearing protection headphones, right?)  Not all the tracks are as loud -- see "Grateful" or "Green Beans Everywhere" (which, full disclosure, I helped bring into existence) -- but Kahn and her bandmates take their JAMband moniker seriously.  You can hear the 48-minute album here (or via the widget below).  Family Values ​is a musically sprawling album with a compassionate message.  The combination of the two will resonate with a number of families.  Recommended.

​[Disclosure: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review.]

PLAY music, Volume 2 - Various Artists

Artist: Various Artists (PLAY music)

Album: PLAY music, Volume 2​

Age Range: 1 to 6

Description: When it comes to early childhood music and movement programs, we are (or at least have been) card- (and CD-)carrying members of the Music Together ​family.  And while I've heard a bunch of CDs from other programs, none have quite matched the quality and scope of those MT disks.  This album is one of the first early childhood music and movement CDs that I would consider adding to our collection.  It's from PLAY music, a Los Angeles-based program.  The 43-minute disk doesn't quite approach the breadth of a MT disk in terms of song selection -- it felt slightly more American folk-based and more less "odd" in places (e.g., not so many songs in non-standard time signatures or keys).  But the quality of the tracks themselves is top-notch -- it's somewhat more organic than the MT disks, thanks to the production of musician Willie Aron (who worked with Peter Himmelman on his kids music) and the presence of kindie musicians Randy Kaplan and Lucky Diaz on a few tracks.  I'm not sure what the market is for music and movement disks outside the context of those classes, but this is a solid collection of folk songs and other songs designed for singing (and dancing and rhythm-sticking) along with your kids.  Recommended.

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

What Was That Sound? - Papa Crow

Artist:​ Papa Crow

Album:​ What Was That Sound?

Age Range:​ 3 through 9

Description:​ There's no better way to make sure old farts like me (see what I did there?) don't get too comfortable with your musical output than to follow up a warm-hearted album for cold days (Things That Roar​) with an EP of fart songs for families.  It's still warm-hearted, but the 5 tracks here are silly, too.  Papa Crow (AKA Michigan's Jeff Krebs) even mocks his gentle folk troubadour persona by converting one of the songs on the first album to "All The Things That Fart."  And "Fart Like a Pirate" might just be the best fart song ever.  Songs about flatulence have to be a bit transgressive, but not too much so (for a family audience), and What Was That Sound?​ deftly negotiates that line.  Some of the songs on the 11-minute album can be heard at Papa Crow's Soundcloud page.  Definitely recommended.  (Glad I got that out of my system.)

The Children's Planet - The Tumble Down Library

Artist: The Tumble Down Library

Album: The Children's Planet

Age Range: 4 through 9

Description:​ A concept album, I guess.  Twenty-seven songs of alterna-pop with some British Invasion touches, averaging less than a minute in length, one for each letter of the alphabet (plus an introduction), telling the story of 26 kids trapped on a planet.  Really it's just a bunch of character sketches with echoes of They Might Be Giants' early years of brief songs mixed with echoes of They Might Be Giants' later years of quasi-educational albums.  Kids with short attention spans will probably dig the brevity; adults may wish the hook-laden tracks didn't end quite so soon.  Stream the whole thing (and buy it digitally for just $4) here.  Recommended.

[Note: I was provided a copy of the album for possible review.]​

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.