A charity CD compilation of songs for children by established artists, which I'd like to say I bought to help Save The Children, but I really bought it for a Half Man Half Biscuit song unavailable elsewhere.
It's cute, without really stretching the listener. Four Tet's Go Go Ninja Dinosaur opens up brightly, and Franz Ferdinand's Jackie Jackson is amusing. I'm not sure Divine Comedy's Pooh Trilogy really works alongside the others, but The Kooks' reggaefied The King and I rocks along nicely.
There's a typical HMHB tale in David Wainwright's Feet, and The Barcelona Pavilion's Tidy Up Tidy Up is an instructive song for untidy kids. Jonathan Richman tugs on the heartstrings with the lovely Our Dog Is Getting Older Now, but luckily Belle and Sebastian come along to lighten the mood with the charming The Monkeys Are Breaking Out Of The Zoo. Ivor Cutler is always a little treat for the ears, and Mud doesn't disappoint, neither does The Flaming Lips' song Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now, with the big chorus you'd expect of the Lips. Finally, there's a lovely gentle ending with Kathryn Williams' Night Baking.
There are some lovely songs on this album, and it's nice to hear that so many artists didn't think 'yeah, that's good enough for kids'.
3* - Some lovely stuff on this album, by some old favourite artists, but not everything works.
Comments