Recently released recordings for children range from the classical to the traditional to the contemporary.
Sooz is a saxophonist, singer, songwriter and loving mother, and she shows off all of these talents on her new album “I Wanna Iguana” (Soozaroo Music available from Rounder; 800-443-4727). The album is stylish and sophisticated, witty and wise. Her unique songs are inspired by the interests of her own children and the many others she has met as well as by social issues that are close to her own heart.
Her subjects range from the title song about the conflict between the educational birthday presents mothers are prone to pick and the weird ones that children would rather have. “Catherine’s Car Kitchen” is an outrageous, imaginative tale about a woman who turns her automobile into a place to cook, while “Little Hands” was inspired by an article from “The Atlantic Monthly” about a young boy who helped to free hundreds of child laborers in Pakistan.
Whether Sooz sings funny songs or poignant ones, she is always backed up by marvelous musicians and adult and child vocalists who add the rhythms of world beat or swing or jazz to create a Sooz fest that really jives.
– Members of “The Broadway Kids” are the kind of youngsters who amaze audiences with their poise and professionalism. On stage, some of them have sung the heart-breaking solos in “Les Miserables,” others have been part of the brood in “The Sound of Music” or played the orphans in “Annie.”
These are young people who were born to sing; now they bring their polish and youthful enthusiasm to music from Hollywood movies in a recording called “The Broadway Kids at the Movies” (Lightyear Entertainment; 800-229-7867). The songs they perform range from the touching “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from “The Lion King” and the heartfelt “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from “Toy Story” to a medley of all-time favorites from “Wizard of Oz” and the upbeat theme from “Ghostbusters.” Some of the songs have been nominated or have won Academy Awards, but as sung by The Broadway Kids, all of them are prizewinners.
“Caribbean Voyage: Brown Girl in the Ring” (Rounder; 800-443-4727) is a cultural treasure. This is a collection of game and play songs gathered by Alan Lomax in 1962 during his travels to the islands of Trinidad, Tobago, Dominica, St. Lucia, Anguilla and Nevis. Some of the music such as “Some Like it Hot (Peas Porridge Hot)” and “Mary Mack” are part of the American repertoire too, but others are great new discoveries. They tell about work and play, kissing games and teasing rhymes, courtship and even death.
While this is an heirloom recording, it shouldn’t be locked away. Although the words may not always be familiar or easy to pick up, they are reproduced in the album notes, and a book called “Brown Girl in the Ring: An Anthology of Song Games from the Eastern Caribbean” (Pantheon Books) gives the history of the songs and instructions for related games, so that this recording will give young people all sorts of new ideas for joyous chanting and clapping on the playground.
“Classical Cats” (Chesky Records; 800-331-1437), which comes with a coloring book, is a great way to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra and the way they sound one by one and together. They are described by four felines whose voices can be annoying, but the instruments steal the show. Each instrument is such an individual, from the sweet-sounding piccolo to the deep-toned tuba, but when they finally all play together, whether it be “In the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg, “Hoedown” by Aaron Copland or selections from the “Nutcracker Suite” by Piotr Tchaikovsky, they sound like one big festive family. It becomes a gala musical event that could be a good addition to any family’s permanent collection of recordings to enjoy together.
