***Enzo Garcia***

With an earthy voice remarkably similar to Burl Ives', and a one-man-band arsenal of instruments, San Francisco-based children's entertainer and musical educator Enzo Garcia presents his ninth (ninth!) CD of kids' music, LMNO Music-Pink.

Garcia constantly develops new movement and music programs for his LMNO Music sessions, and the resulting songs are translated to CD. If you scan the titles on this and other LMNO Music albums, you'll notice that many of the tunes are traditional songs, which can be a tricky thing for most performers. But Garcia makes these songs his own, convincing you that he wrote "Jim Along Josie", "Looby Loo", and "Trot Old Joe" himself.

The spoken word chants "Here is the Sea" and "Let's Make Pizza" are reminiscent of Woody Guthrie's classic LP Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child. And the fact that he makes slight changes in the chord progressions of his "Hello" and "Goodbye" songs shows that Garcia doesn't take his audience's intelligence for granted: even the tiniest kid can differentiate between the beginning and the end of the program by the music, even if he or she can't speak yet. But the gem of the album is Garcia's own "Hold My Hand", one of those songs that makes you sing along loudly and dance in circles with your loved ones every time you hear it.

Intimate, rhythmic, and wonderfully played, Enzo Garcia's LMNO Music-Pink is a fun album that belongs in every home, classroom, and Toddler Time collection. Another classic from the west coast!