Music Review-Kids Keller Williams

So tonight I'm going to try my hand at a music review...
I like artists like A Fine Frenzy, Meiko, and Jack Johnson though I have been know when in a funky mood to listen to CocoRosie (if you just want to listen to a cool cover of Turn Me On click on over to KCO meets CocoRosie) and even Cavo but I haven't listened to kids music in probably 10 years.
So LO and I have been listening to Dvork and Mozart cause I'm not sure that Turn Me On sung provocatively is good for babies!

I picked up a few CD's at the library like Bill Harley and Playful Baby but they just don't really do it for me..so I set about looking for something that would meet my needs as well as her growing needs.

I stumbled upon Keller Williams and his new album Kids..This album is his first-ever children's record.  There are several songs that are sung with his daughter which brings the feeling of this really being a children's record. 

Keller Williams is primarily a solo artist who a combines assorted genres into his music.  He has a bluezy, jazzy sometimes alternative bluegrass feel to his music.  Think Jack Johnson but a with a bit of bluegrass mixed in.

His guitar playing and complex melodies are enough to keep adults entertained and his lyrics are funny and sometimes bawdy.  (And by bawdy, I mean g-rated bawdy.)  Two of the tracks Good Advice and Mama Tooted are just two of the tracks that have some bawdy type lyrics that will make parents smile as well as make 5-10 year olds laugh out loud. 

Some of the songs I really enjoyed..

Car Seat-(Track 2) this is a great song with a Jack Johnson kind of feel..it has a good beat and some great rhythm.  The lyrics are catchy and give good visualization of a car seat being a rocket ship and how you can just lay back and chill in your car seat.  This is a good song for a reluctant car seat child who complains about the straps being tight and the discomfort that being restrained can cause.

Free download of Car Seat

Taking a Bath-(Track 6) this is a fast paced folksy, bluegrass song that talks about taking a bath to get the stink off.  I'd play this song as we were heading off to take a bath to a child who was not a fan of bathing.  

Hey Little Baby-(Track 9) This song is sung with Keller and his daughter..and is an acoustic song about a baby waking up in the middle of the night and maybe needing a diaper change, but there's some hugging going on there too!

Grandma's Feather Bed-(Track 13) This is a great cover of John Denver's Grandma's Feather Bed..he definitely freshens up this song and if I wouldn't have been exposed to John Denver as a kid I never would have realized it was a cover.  It has a blues, funky kind of feel..

There is really only one song that I'm not to keen on and that's because this is a kids album and kids have short attention spans..the fourth track-Hulahoop to da loop..this is a great display of Keller's musical abilities but as it starts out it reminds me of the song that plays during the opening credits of a movie soundtrack...it takes a full 1:40 minutes before the lyrics start..once those lyrics start its a great song and I have heard it played on XM Kid's Place several times without the led in..He could have knocked 1 minute off the song and it would have been perfect!

Over all this is a great album, that I think will meet the needs of children under 10 and their parents.  They lyrics are catchy and simple, lending to easy learning so the whole family can join in on the singing fun.  Even though the lyrics are simple, there is a definite grown up component to Keller's music that will delight parents.  I give this album 5 stars!

Edited--Keller Williams supports audio taping of his performances and non-commercial use of the recording..if you'd like to listen to some of his adult music head on over to the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive is a 501c3 that is building an archive of digital formats.