Friday Free-for-All # 16

Music Together, Family Favorites

The title is a perfect description, as standards like "Biddy, Biddy," "John the Rabbit," "Palo, Palo," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" are performed along with originals written by Kenneth Guilmartin and Lili Levinowitz. This Princeton-based organization promotes interactive music fun for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their families, and Family Favorites is a great way to see and hear what they're all about. Make sure to check out "Stick Tune," a very simple song that's impossible not to dance to, featuring Yvette Glover, dancer Savion Glover's mom. A super collection of tunes for the home and the preschool classroom.


Leeny and Steve, Be Nice

Gloucester, MA, duo Ilene Altman and Steve Equi play and sing everything on Be Nice, and their simple, clean production keeps the performances low-key and intimate. They use Pop, Rock, R&B, Reggae, Doo-Wop, Tin Pan Alley, and Country styles on songs about friends, grammar, playgrounds, dictionaries, and kids' neverending questions about life. And dig "Know What the Nos Are," a Queen-like tune about all the things kids aren't supposed to do, that sounds like a junior "Bohemian Rhapsody;" and "Sometimes I Just Need a Hug," a sweet ballad that could have been cowritten with James Taylor, Carole King, and Paul Simon.


Rock Daddy Rock, Silly Short Songs for Silly Short People

Chris Bihuniak may be the hardest working man in kindie rock: The co-creator of Teacher and the Rockbots and The Blankies just released his first solo album under the moniker Rock Daddy Rock after writing seven CDs worth of music with Bryan Mace over the past three years. Leawood, KS, resident Bihuniak takes a break from the education rock of his last two projects to bring us songs (most definitely inspired by his four young sons) about boogers, warts, burping, messy rooms, and farting. Your 6 to 9 year olds are gonna think this CD is heeeeelarious! And "Dirty Nails" is a seriously rockin' tune!