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Music Reviews: Toddler

By Christopher Healy

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Animal Playground: Various artists, $16

Putumayo varies its one-genre-at- a-time format in this global survey of animal tunes: an Italian "Old MacDonald," a Caribbean "Ten Little Monkeys," a bluesy "The Three Bears." As it veers from French jazz to African a cappella, the beasties certainly sound like they're enjoying the party.—Ages 1 to 8

Greatest Hits, Volumes 1 & 2: The Baby Loves Jazz Band, $17

This is no kidified jazz lite—this is real jazz. But the familiar tropes of "This Little Piggy," "Old MacDonald," and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" make it accessible to young children. The two-disc set offers up a whopping 46 Blue Note–worthy tracks.

Dance for the Sun: Kira Willey; $15

Don't let the Yoga Songs for Kids subtitle fool you—this is not New Agey meditation music. Written to correspond to yoga poses, these songs are joyful, upbeat, and eminently danceable. Willey's vocals have a breezy coffeehouse quality that will appeal to listeners young and old alike.—Ages 1 and up

Every Child Deserves a Lifetime: Various Artists, $14

This charity-benefit album (a portion of each sale goes to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) boasts enough music superstars to shame your average Grammy Awards broadcast. There's a little something for everyone, whether it's Luther Vandross's soulful "If I Had a Hammer," Bruce Springsteen's mischievous "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips," Seal's ethereal "Puff the Magic Dragon," or Little Richard's raucous "Itsy Bitsy Spider." The parade of all-stars (and varied genres) continues with Carole King, Natalie Merchant, Sting, Brian Wilson, Faith Hill, Babyface, Ziggy Marley, and more. And Bob Dylan completely owns "This Old Man."—Ages 2 and up

Dream Big!: Roger Day, $15

If your kids don't already know Day from his appearances on XM Kids radio, they'll quickly become fans of his high-energy tunes. Message songs like "Turn Off the TV!" don't take away from the pure fun of "I Like Yaks!" and "I Love You (More than My Shoe)."

I'm Hungry, I Need a Band-Aid: Wendy Gelsanliter, $15

On this eminently enjoyable album, Gelsanliter delivers zippy country-rock tunes with clever lyrics that manage to offer a little something to every generation (e.g., "Buffalo Herd" contains not just goofy lines like "You can't go fishing in a watermelon patch," but also some more resonant ones, such as "You can't change film with a kid on your back").

Listen to the Music Band: David Grover & The Big Bear Band, $12

For parents of a certain age, David Grover's latest album will have a familiar ring to it. The vast majority of the songs are Grover's original compositions, but on every track, Grover and his bandmates perfectly nail the sound and feel of late-'60s campfire folk. And they do so without any kind of semi-ironic retro sense; this is pure, earnest old-school folk music. And it works just as well for kids now as it did then.—Ages 2 and up

Little Mo' McCoury: Ronny McCoury, $14

Marvelous Day: SteveSongs; $15

The mainstream music that crosses over into the children's arena—as evidenced by the tracks from adult radio that end up getting nominated for Kids' Choice Awards (think artists like Ryan Cabrera and Gavin DeGraw)—almost always falls under the rubric of power pop. Steve Roslonek of SteveSongs has obviously caught on. His tunes could serve as a preschooler's primer for tween rock: The hooks are just as catchy, but the attitude is dialed down to kindergarten level, and the subject matter stays in the friendlier realm of animals ("Elephant Hide and Seek," for instance), healthy food ("The Veggie Song"), and silly humor ("Opposite Day").—Ages 18 months and up

Napper's Delight: Dean Jones
$15

As the lead singer of Dog on Fleas, Jones has shown his aptitude for raucous party-pleasers. Here, he proves he knows his way around a lullaby, too. The tunes are properly peaceful, yet each is catchy enough to make you sing along. —Ages 2 and up

Putumayo Kids Presents: Brazilian Playground

Putumayo Kids Presents: Brazilian Playground: Various Artists, $15

Heavily percussive samba; airy, jazzlike bossa nova; calypso-esque "forró": Brazil is home to a wide range of musical styles, all of which are inherently engaging and accessible for young children. Many of the songs on this joy-filled compilation may have been written for specific dances back in Brazil, but kids here will have no trouble cooking up steps of their own.—Ages 2 and up

No Ordinary Day: Suzi Shelton
$15

This singer-songwriter packs 'em in at live shows, thanks to her enthusiastic stage persona. The same bright, playful energy is evident on Shelton's second CD, which covers subject matter that ranges from frivolous (bubble gum) to serious (shared custody). —Ages 2 and up

Cheek to Cheek: Blair Casdin
$15

Standards and pop tunes, from the title track to the Beatles' "Your Mother Should Know," are twisted into sparkly jazz arrangements on this great quiet-time album. Casdin's vocals project an audible smile. —Ages 2 and up

Uncle Rock U.: Uncle Rock
$15

There's something pure about Uncle Rock: He's just a dude having fun with a guitar. Whether he's crooning about the deliciousness of "Hippie Harvest Kitchen" or playing a medley of superhero themes, he makes sure listeners share his enthusiasm. —Ages 2 to 8

Let's Go Everywhere: Medeski Martin & Wood
$17

Experimental-jazz trio John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Chris Wood may be reaching out to a younger audience, but their trademark funkadelia remains intact. Far from alienating, the early-'70s groove on these tracks (some of them instrumental) can transform Hokey-Pokeying birthday partiers into a pretween Mod Squad. Meanwhile, parents can close their eyes and go back to a cooler version of their own youths—you can almost hear the wood paneling, lava lamps, and shag rugs. It's still kid music, though: The requisite pirate song is present and accounted for, as are multiple nursery rhymes. MMW (as their adult fans know them) even make "All Around the Kitchen"—possibly 2007's most covered children's song-fresh and different. —Ages 2 to 6

Have You Never Been Yellow?: Morgan Taylor
$15

Renaissance man Taylor (who not only wrote and played the songs but also animated the videos on this CD-DVD set) revisits the absurd life of Gustafer Yellowgold, the cone-headed alien from the sun introduced in last year's Wide Wild World. This time, we are privy to his budding friendship with the Mustard Slugs, his love of long beards, and his new pastime: punching cheese. The music is the true star: Taylor's snappy indie rock has cross-generational appeal. There's even a legit rock anthem (it just happens to be about eating pinecones).

Here Come the 123s: They Might Be Giants,
(Disney Sound, $19)

The offbeat alternarockers continue their winning formula of offering grown-up fans the same slightly twisted but ultra-catchy tunes they've always loved while simply shifting the lyrical focus of those songs to kid-friendly subject matter. Here, musical tribute is paid to numerals zero through twelve (and 813, of course). They mix things up musically, offering a bossa nova about zero, a vaudeville-style piano piece about number two, and a kickin' disco salute to five. The numbers are used in imaginative way (six likes to stand on its head and pretend he's nine), and basic math comes into play with the sing-along "I Can Add," and a danceable ode to geometry titled "Nonagon." The videos on the accompanying DVD feature fantastically entertaining flash animation and puppetry. If Schoolhouse Rock had been this cool, we'd all be rocket scientists by now.—Ages 2 and 9

Very Derryberry: Debi Derryberry,
(Very Derryberry Productions, $19)

Nickelodeon viewers may recognize Derryberry's voice as that of boy genius, Jimmy Neutron. But here in musician mode, she turns her perky, childlike voice to the task of creating fun, snappy, good-time kids' songs. Boogie-woogie piano accompaniment keeps the mood and the tempo up through this sunshiny set.—Ages 2 to 7