Friday Free-for-All # 7

Ellis Paul, Dragonfly Races

Ellis' fourteenth album, but first for kids. Well, for families, really, because these songs should be listened to while everybody's gathered 'round the stereo. The theme is peace, ecology, and good vibes, and Ellis' gruff folkie voice delivers the message with just the right sincerity and playfulness.


D. Jay, Buggy Baloo

Do-It-Yourself low-fi awesomeness! This is a perfect example of why I love the indierock ethic in kids' music today. On his children's debut, Dennis King paints his songs with a little Jack Johnson, a bit of Violent Femmes, and some Terrible Twos to create an intimate collection of tunes for the younger set.


Eric Ode, When You Smile

Eric is a wonderful dude from everything I've read and heard about him, but his fifth album is a little too squeaky clean for me. Now, that's not to say it's subpar, by any means ... this is a first class kids' CD for folks who like Chris Hamilton, SteveSongs, Gary Rosen, or Bill Shontz (with whom Eric works on When You Smile).