Like singer Laura Veirs, Massachusetts musician Alastair Moock has had a long and successful career playing American folk music for grown ups. And similarly, both musicians started making kids’ music after the birth of their children, but in a way that keeps true to their folksy musical roots.
But while Laura Veirs’ voice is of the more ethereal, take-your-breath-away variety, Alastair Moock’s is more gritty and down to earth, with lyrics full of winks and knee slaps. Which makes his new album great fun.
{keep reading to find out how you can win a copy!}
Within a minute, Alastair’s scratchy voice and oddball lyrics on the title song These Are My Friends had me sucked in and wanting to hear more. This is indeed a CD that gets richer for me with each listening, even though this is definitely aimed at younger ears, as when it meanders through a rollicking cover of Ladybug Picnic or even when his twin daughters join in to sing along for a few choruses.
One of my favorite songs on the CD, Feets Up, includes the happy voice of CMP favorite Rani Arbo, and there are many guests who stop in to lend their voices or musicianship to create a rich, multi-layered sound. He even sings a cover from his boyhood hero Woody Guthrie in Mail Myself to You, someone who has influenced him so much that he now visits schools to talk about the political impact music has on history.
Throughout the 13 1/2 song-CD, I can just imagine Alastair happily strumming his six-string as he sings to his pint-sized audience. I suspect there will be more than a few adults who will be tapping their toes to his brand of folk as well. –Christina
Grab a copy of Alastair Moock’s These Are My Friends from CD Baby.
Congratulations to Rachel R! Her family will be singing in excitement after winning Alastair Moock’s These Are My Friends cd.
