If you had asked me about Nick Jr's Yo Gabba Gabba! a few months ago--unlike editor Liz who's their biggest fan on the planet--I would've told you, I don't get it. However I am now writing enthusiastically about the Yo Gabba Gabba! sound…
After reading the headline to this review, you may be wondering, When did Cool Mom Picks become Cool Grandmom Picks? I hear you. When I first heard that Neil Sedaka had put out a new CD of reworked hits for kids, I thought, There is no w…
Did I ever tell you that my oldest daughter is a music video star? Yep, it's true. Check out the Bedhead video from the Jimmies , and at about 1:40 you'll see her rocking out with a spiky red mohawk and huge smile. You'll find this and m…
Melissa Levis, the Moey of Moey's Music Party , communicates to toddlers the way I wish I could, especially when they are getting on my nerves. Rather than tensely demand, " Share your toys! " this off-Broadway songwriter sings a bouncy …
There are days when I just want to listen to something a bit more aggressive than the usual children's music fare. But, I learned a valuable lesson the day I jumped out of the minivan while the kids sat inside listening to Fatboy Slim's …
The first DVD release from CMP fave Uncle Rock , Number 1 DVD: Live from Kidtopia is a great example that kids don't need big, commercial, overproduced videos to fall in love a band, provided that band has half an ounce of talent. And in…
This was a banner year for media, including great books for parents from some of our favorite bloggers, wonderful kids' books , and more cool music for kids than a new parent would have ever known was out there, had the remote control go…
If you have holiday guests (of the fun variety) to entertain over the next couple weeks, run -- don't walk -- and grab yourself a copy of SingStar ABBA for PS2 or PS3. As a huge, cheesy, unabashed ABBA fan, when I had the chance to revie…
Instead of coughing up fur balls and sleeping, Pete the Cat goes out for a leisurely stroll in his spanking new white shoes. I can't even imagine trying to get shoes onto my cat, never mind how miffed she'd be if she stepped into some of…
I've never thought of the Blues as particularly cheerful until I heard Brooklyn's Randy Kaplan sing Good Morning Blues , the first song on Loquat Rooftop . Amidst the amazingly nimble-fingered guitar work, I heard him ask, Good morning b…
My son has a crush on an older woman, and her name is Laurie Berkner. Judging by the number of times he's listened to her new kids CD, Rocketship Run , he has fallen hard. Fortunately for the rest of us, we can understand his adoration: …
I'm all for exposing my kids to world music, but have to take into account that they do enjoy some of the regular old kids music (pain me though it does). Thanks to Baby Loves Salsa , the new release from our friends at Baby Loves Music,…
I have allowed my children to invade nearly all areas of my life. There are chicken nuggets in my freezer, tricycles in my driveway, and hordes of toys in every room of the house. But I admit I've drawn the line at listening to children'…
Thaddeus Rex's latest CD, Shakin' in Chicago , is for parents and kids who have moved beyond sugar-sweet versions of You Are My Sunshine. (Read: all of us). T. Rex has a unique voice and rocks the acoustic guitar in a way that reminded m…
You aren't likely to find me at a folk music festival or a bluegrass jamboree, but I'm totally taken by The Okee Dokee Brothers' new release, Kids with Beards. This two-member band from Minneapolis make twangy, toe-tapping folk music wit…
If ever a CD was made to be played in a W Hotel guest room that requests a crib, Chill Baby, by Californian musician and producer Cordovan, is it. It's cool as the name suggests, mixing mellow electronica with both original and familiar …
I'll admit it: I was prejudiced. Before I heard the newly released Soulville and All Together Now from Little Monster Records , I was prejudiced against CDs whose singers included a "children's chorus," codeword for "cheese." Thankfully,…
In my 20's, I'd go to a small dark club in Rhode Island to watch obscure indie rock bands play loud, jangly music. We were a fairly homogeneous group, save for one earplugged little girl of about 3 who would sit on her dad's shoulders an…
A certain purple dinosaur has given this dude a bad name. But I'm thinking Barney Saltzberg is taking the name Barney back (yeah!) with 30 incredible children's books and four really swell CDs in his arsenal, including his latest musical…
When I heard that Music Together was creating a CD for everyone, and not just the lucky families who get it free along with their children's music classes, I jumped at the opportunity to check it out. Granted I'm a registered Music Toget…
"HEY! Don't turn that down!", I snap at my husband who has interrupted my backup singing so he can figure out some complicated directions on our way to Boston. He looks at me, warily, from the corner of his eye. Shoot. I have been caught…
If you heeded our advice and snatched up much lauded performer Frances England's debut album, Fascinating Creatures , then you and your kiddos will be glad to know she's got another great one to add to your collection. On Family Tree, Fr…
While we Gen-X parents may have outgrown our Lollapalooza days (Primus so rocked it in '93) it doesn't mean we're ready to hang up the proverbial Docs just yet. Which is why the Kidzapalooza summer concert has become such a rollicking an…
Do you ever listen to music and think, "Seriously, how do people make these kinds of wonderful sounds?" Me too. And I just did when I checked out Funky Kidz : Kinda lame name, but pretty great album. Funky Kidz features a collection of n…