The good ol’ days sort of lose their luster for me when I think about a life without indoor plumbing, internet access and Starbucks. But, I will give them one thing: Their folk songs sure were beautiful as evidenced in this lovely and playful collection of tunes by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs.
Laura Veirs’ Tumble Bee may be packaged as a children’s CD, but I could listen to this on a quiet afternoon when my usual “loud and fast” fare is too much. Even my older-than-preschool kids are charmed and not begging me to change to the nearest pop-music station.
There are times her voice is so beautiful I get a lump in my throat as in the languid and mysterious Prairie Lullaby. But lest you think this is a slow-moving lullaby CD, keep listening and things pick up with songs like Jack Can I Ride? and the dizzying tongue-twister Jump Down Spin Around, with backup singers who sound like they are having too much fun.
And not all of these songs are old, like the title song, Tumble Bee from a ’97 CD by indie rock and folk musician Karl Blau. But, despite jumping from decade to decade (and tempo to tempo), Laura’s voice, along with the clean production by her husband and no stranger to the music industry Tucker Martine, bring this all together into a perfectly cohesive package. It’ll make you believe that the good ol’ days have never gone away. –Christina
Laura Veirs’s Tumble Bee will be released on Amazon on November 8; pre-order her CD now direct from her website and she’ll sign your copy. She even has vinyl, be still my retro heart.
