Jazz Up Your Day with Funky Kidz

I’ve said it before, but I’m a huge fan of introducing kids to music. The caveat? I think it should be quality music. Sure, we sing plenty of “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, but that’s not what I want to listen to when the radio is on. And nothing bothers me more than music that is dumbed down for the kids (a la Baby Einstein). So, when I was offered the chance to review Funky Kids, I was a bit skeptical. With a cutesy-sounding name and kid-faves like “Hokey Pokey” and “Froggy Went A Courtin’” there was certainly the possibility of a mind-numbing mess.

Not so! From the very first strains of Bonerama’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” I was in love. Funky Kids contains a dozen intelligent kid-friendly tunes, all performed in jazzy New Orleans styles. Each song is interpreted by a different artist or band and they certainly have their own flavors. Some of my favorites include a tender version of “If I Only Had a Brain” by Paul Sanchez and a gritty “Froggy Went A Courtin’” with The Radiators. Just about every song gets me (oh-and my kids!) tapping my toes and singing along.

As with almost any album, there are a few songs I could do without. The most notable is “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” which needs a bit more “zip” to help me have “a wonderful day.” I was also disappointed by “The Garden Song” which is one of our favorite folk songs to sing around here. The lead singer, Amanda Shaw, sounds like she had a day cold that day (although she still sings better than I do!).

Funky Kidz is one of those CDs I will highly recommend to friends and will most likely end up on my gift-giving list for years to come. Not only is the music fantastic, but a portion of the proceeds from each album goes towards education and music programs for children. Can’t beat that!

Visit Funky Kidz Music to hear clips from the CD and to buy a copy of your own.

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