The Best Music of 2007 for Kids and Families -- Fids & Kamily 2007 Winners

The list below represents the consensus of 19 writers, radio programmers, and others involved in the music industry as to the best music for kids and families released (or re-released) in the past year (Nov. 1, '06 - Oct. 31, '07). The 19 judges ranked their top 10 releases of the past year, and the following albums came out on top. In addition to these 20 albums, another 57 albums received at least one vote.

But these albums below represent the best that the kids music genre had to offer over the last 12 months. Dig in and enjoy -- our families sure have.

1. Gustafer Yellowgold - Have You Never Been Yellow?
2. Asylum Street Spankers - Mommy Says No!
3. Terrible Twos - If You Ever See An Owl
4. Peter Himmelman - My Green Kite
5. Hipwaders - Educated Kid
6. Renee & Jeremy - It's a Big World!
7. Jimmies - Make Your Own Someday
8. Various Artists - Play (DeSoto Compilation)
9. Father Goose - It's a Bam Bam Diddly!
10. Recess Monkey - Wonderstuff
11. Sugar Free Allstars - Dos Ninos
12. Various Artists - For the Kids! 3
13. Roger Day - Dream Big!
14. Joe McDermott - Everybody Plays Air Guitar
15. Deedle Deedle Dees - Freedom in a Box

Honorable Mentions (unranked)
Andre 3000 - Class of 3000
Buck Howdy with BB - Chickens!
Dean Jones - Napper's Delight
Mr. David - Jump in the Jumpy House
Uncle Rock - Uncle Rock U

Share Your Music And Let Them Share Theirs

We all want to share our lives with our children. We want to tell them of our past triumphs and losses, our desires and fears, and share everything that makes us tick.

Including our music.

Especially our music.

But that doesn't mean we should.

I know what you're thinking: But my kid loves my music! I'm sure he does. Kids are the world's greatest music critics. Their tastes haven't been clouded with the opinions of pretentious music journalists. They simply enjoy music. They don't care if it's no longer hip to like SelloutBandDuJour or that Top 40 music is considered uncool. They like what they like. Basically, as long as you don't cram your kid's iPod with funeral dirges, you're in the clear.

But just because your kid likes your music doesn't mean that should be his only option. There is a lot of great children's music being released today. I can sense you rolling your eyes because I was once like you. Like many entitled members of my generation, I thought all the great music and television shows geared towards kids ceased production when I turned twelve. But one day it hit me: the reason I wasn't enjoying most of my kids' music was because I'm no longer a kid. I've become jaded and cynical over the years and have lost most of my innocence and childhood wonderment. But my children haven't. I realized that just because LazyTown looked lame to me, it doesn't mean my kids won't like it. And I realized that while some children's music grates on my every last nerve, my kids lap it up.

So I loosened the reign on my CD player. My kids and I started exploring the world of current children's music. And you know what? I actually liked some of it.

Remember, I'm not saying you need to stash your Pitchfork-approved playlists until your kids turn sixteen. Feel free to mix your tunes with their tunes. Add some Beatles to their Berkner, some Jellyfish to their Jellydots, some Zutons to their Dan Zanes, some Spoon to their Sippy Cups, and some They Might Be Giants to their They Might Be Giants. Allowing your children to dance around to a silly kid's song will be more fun for them and, in the end, more rewarding for you than establishing their musical cred. And you might actually hear a tune or two you like as well.

Besides, they'll have plenty of time to hate your music in the future.

Cynical Dad
http://www.cynicaldad.com/
That which does not kill us makes us more cynical.

#1: Have You Never Been Yellow? - Gustafer Yellowgold

Gustafer Yellowgold’s Have You Never Been Yellow? CD/DVD consists of nine immaculately illustrated short stories about a sweet little guy from the sun and his gaggle of comrades. The stories are set to foot-tappin’ rock-n-roll tunes lined with clever hooks, witty lyrics and above all else, infectious melodies you’ll have to pry out of your head…not that you’d ever want to. The songs are so lush with imagery that the CD stands firmly on its own – and that is the true brilliance of this record. The DVD is just icing on the cake that Gustafer would love to pounce on.

Morgan Taylor’s vision of a warm-hearted, nature-lovin’ dude is the gold standard of children’s media. Have You Never Been Yellow? is, at the end of the day, everything kid’s entertainment should be, and is the finest children’s record of 2007.

Jeff from Out With The Kids (http://www.owtk.com)

#2: Mommy Says No! - Asylum Street Spankers

The Asylum Street Spankers, out of Austin, Texas, are generally not a band for kids (see “Beer,” “War on Drugs,” and “If You Love Me (You’ll Sleep on the Wet Spot)” for just a sampling of why). But their all-acoustic music (for years they publicly eschewed “demon electricity” at live shows) has always had a sense of humor and fun that seemed like it could translate to kid-dom.

Finally, the band recorded Mommy Says No!, and it’s a surprising, hilarious, and at-times-touching album. The musical style is in line with the Spankers' prior work, which is to say all over the place, but with a creamy nougat center of talent, humor, and honesty.

You haven’t heard Nirvana’s “Sliver” until you've heard it in high-power bluegrass, and the title track rocks harder than you’d think possible on all acoustic instruments. But a few tracks later, you’ll tear up (honest) when hearing Christina Marrs wistfully wanting to be a superhero’s helper in “Sidekick.” “Don’t Turn Out The Light” takes a familiar theme – fear of monsters in the dark – and makes it unmistakably the Spankers’, complete with a musical saw. Throw in a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Think About Your Troubles,” the hilarious and almost-inappropriate “You Only Love Me For My Lunchbox” and its tongue-twister involving “pheasant pluckers,” and another half-dozen tracks without a single dud, and it’s no surprise to see it at number two in the poll.

Bill Childs produces (with his kids) Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child; covers kids' music for Parenting magazine, and writes a syndicated kids' music column for regional parenting magazines.

#3: If You Ever See An Owl - The Terrible Twos

To me the best kids music is music that is just good music that just so happens to be able to be enjoyed by the whole family. Dan Zanes seems to capitalize on this concept...simply make good music that the whole family can enjoy. It doesn't have to be the most creative, be the most complex, have the goofiest lyrics, or be the most educational. I just want good music.

Ok, I know, good is very subjective, but here's how I would define it. Good music is well-played, competent, has well-written lyrics, and is well-produced. Those are just a few qualities that I consider essential to good family music. Another way to understand where I am going with this is to simply listen to If You Ever See An Owl by The Terrible Twos. This album almost perfectly illustrates my idea of the best family music out there - and it's good. Really good, in fact.

Matt Pryor, frontman for The Terrible Twos, said this about If You Ever SeeAn Owl: "I made a record that I like that my kids like, too. We can all listen to it in the car without getting a migraine."

If You Ever See An Owl is jam-packed with 15 solid, hook-filled pop songs that are sure to please the whole family (even all the way up to the pop-punk loving teens). From the simple and sweet opening song "Lady Bug" to the rocking tale of food pickiness in "Pizza and Chocolate Milk," this CD has songs that are sure to be stuck in your head for days - and in this case that's not a bad thing. I can (and have) easily recommended this CD to families with children of any age and even to people without kids. It's that good.

Bryan Townsend, Owner, Pokeypup.com

#4: My Green Kite - Peter Himmelman

Peter Himmelman, whose recording career stretches back to the early '80s, has been alternating between straight-up rock albums and kids' releases since the late '90s, when his first children's album, My Best Friend is a Salamander, helped usher in the kindie era. (He's also kept busy scoring television shows such as "Judging Amy," "Men in Trees," and "Bones," thus proving that you can find great songwriters pretty much anyplace other than the radio these days.)

My Green Kite is Himmelman's fourth children's album, first for Rounder, and – as luck would have it – his best. Really, it's no accident that Raffi records tend to drive adults nuts; if illustrated on a Venn diagram, music that kids and adults can agree on would be represented by the slenderest of overlaps, and Himmelman – though he's thus far managed to avoid the genre's traditional saccharine overkill – has occasionally wandered too deeply into cutesy territory. There are no such missteps here, however; My Green Kite is a dizzyingly colorful blend, full of sly musical touches that parents will be able to appreciate, alongside lyrics that successfully walk the fine line between endearingly whimsical and gratingly sweet.

It's a tour de force, really, and parents who aren't grinning and bopping their heads after making their way through the opening triple punch – the percussive, horn-drenched "Feet," the charming power-pop confection of a title track, and the barnyard ballad "Another Bite of Hay" – should have their heads examined. Throw out those Veggie Tales CDs and hop on the kindie bandwagon. Start right here.

#5: Educated Kid - The Hipwaders

The Hipwaders make instantly irresistible pop-rock tunes in a style that ranges from early 80's Elvis Costello to the 21st century power pop of the Candy Butchers. They mesh their influences into a consistently appealing sound on their second CD, Educated Kid. Singer Tito Uquillas puts a fresh spin on a few classic subjects, like dinosaurs, siblings, math, toys, and animals. He has a unique and pleasing voice, like a cross between Tim Finn and Jello Biafra. Some of the lyrics border on, gasp, educational, but are always imaginative and fun. My kids are six and nine, and they both love The Hipwaders. Heck, I'm in my 40's, and even I find myself enjoying this CD when I'm in the car without the kids. It's not easy to make children's music that appeals to all ages, but The Hipwaders have done just that with Educated Kid.

Phil Corless, www.pkmeco.com

#6 (tie): It's A Big World! - Renee & Jeremy

It’s common knowledge among my friends and listeners that, aside from kid-friendly tunes, cover songs are my “thing”. Therefore, it was Renee Stahl and Jeremy Toback’s lullaby version of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” that initially piqued my interest when perusing the track listing for their debut collaboration, It’s a Big World! However, the rest of the disc far outshines this interpretive number.

The strength of Renee and Jeremy as both performers and writers are their original, sweetly-haunting melodies, with lyrics that embrace the wonder and diversity of life. New father Jeremy and mother-to-be Renee recorded this beautiful acoustic album, a lo-fi love letter to their children, in a makeshift home studio. My favorite lullaby of the year, “Night Mantra” is a soothing reassurance for both parent and child alike.

Overall, It’s a Big World! emulates my vision of a hypothetical Aimee Mann/Michael Penn children’s CD (similar to their “Two of Us” duet on the I am Sam soundtrack). Though uplifting in spirit, there are moments where the tone drifts slightly towards melancholy, and it is this complexity that can draw an adult to even revisit the world of Renee and Jeremy on their own.

Amy Trulock, HipYoungParent.com

#6 (tie): Make Your Own Someday - The Jimmies

Make Your Own Someday, the debut CD from New York's The Jimmies, is proof that it's possible to have a direct line to your own inner seven-year-old. Or at least that Ashley Albert, the mastermind behind the band has that direct line. Songs about messy hair ("Bedhead"), sneezing ("Do the Elephant"), and, well, cows with hats ("Spanimals") channel the anarchic spirit of elementary school humor that is often a gateway drug to listening to "Weird" Al Yankovic. (And, yes, that's a good thing.) Spanning several musical genres, the album also features top-notch musical performances and production.

And if that's not all, the band's two videos show imagination and humor that make you wonder just how long it'll be before Albert and the band get their own TV show. There are lots of bands grabbing for that particular brass ring, but the Jimmies are definitely the real deal. Don't wait for TV execs to catch up, though, the CD is worth a spin right now.

Stefan Shepherd, www.zooglobble.com

#8: Play - Various Artists (DeSoto)

Call us selfish, but we think the test of a great kids’ CD is not “Can I stand to listen to this thing over and over?” but rather “Do I want to listen to this thing over and over?” And one CD that definitely makes the cut is the Play compilation put out this year by DeSoto Records. We loved it straightaway, but didn’t realize quite how engaging it was for little ones till we glanced in the rearview mirror one morning and observed 3-year-old DJ Waah Waah quietly practicing car-seat dance moves to Anna Oxygen’s “Born to Shake” (the CD’s opening track, which sounds something like Laurie Anderson meets Laurie Berkner).

The rest of the CD is no less inspiring. The Young Fresh Fellows’ “Picnic,” bounces along so playfully we can’t help blurting out snippets of the song for hours afterward: “Ice cream cone! Wiffle ball! Mosquito bite! Boat ride … with you!” And who would’ve expected such exuberance from Mary Timony, erstwhile singer of Helium, whose garagey “Clap Your Hands” veers almost into B-52’s territory? Mudhoney’s “I Like to Make Noise and Break Things” sounds just as rowdy as you’d want it to — although DJ Waah Waah, it should be noted, finds the song a little too rowdy: “If those boys ever come over to our house to visit, we’ll have to hide all our toys,” she says. And, of course, she’s right.

Other favorites include “Always Check for Holes” by Channels with Damon Locks and “I’ll Never Fear Ghosts Again” by Soccer Team. Aw heck, it’s almost not worth pointing out individual songs, because this plays so well as an album. Highly recommended!

Belinda Miller & Hova Najarian, hosts, Greasy Kid Stuff

#9: It's A Bam Bam Diddly! - Father Goose

It’s A BAM BAM Diddly! indeed! Can you even think of a better title for this album!? This first solo effort from Father Goose, is the first evolution of the music he’s been making with Dan Zanes for the last six+ years. He still captures some of that delicious sloppy joe style, but with a carribean spice that makes it all his own.

When this album first landed on my desk, I popped it in the player, and became overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude!! From the first track, “BAM BAM” it took everything in my being not to crank the volume and start a wild rag-tag dance party with whoever happened to be passing by. This is how music supposed to shake you!

It’s no secret that this genre of music for kids and families, or “Kindie Rock” as it’s been coined, is exploding. Maybe that’s not the right word to use, but you get my point. Like his BFF Dan Zanes, Father Goose is REALLY making music for families to enjoy together. The originals are not self-consciously written, the traditional folk songs are given new life that’s almost 3-D, and the album as a whole has a style that belongs to Father Goose himself. This is what an artist does, no matter the genre. Most importantly, it’s evident that every song on this album is loved. Both by the artists who collaborate on it, the musicians, and Father Goose himself. It’s A BAM BAM Diddly! is genuine, and that’s what makes it so good. Well, that and the fact that it’s already timeless….oh, and the cover art is pretty neat too…and the insert with lyrics and chords makes you happy …and the fact that Screechy Dan gets liner credit for yodeling. Any way you slice it, Father Goose is a real treasure when it comes to music for kids and families….and music as a whole.

So, with that said here are my top three personal faves from It’s A BAM BAM Diddly!:
Track 1 BAM BAM (turn it up real real loud)
Track 10 By And BY (sing around a camp fire, or around your living room. Sing it with friends)
Track 15 Nah Eat No Fish (I don’t like fish so I really like this one. Wish I knew it as a kid…it’s a charmer!)

Okay….gotta add two more:
Track 2 Flying Machine (Dan Zanes AND Sheryl Crow!?)
Track 5 Come Down The Line (a Father Goose orginial…he wrote this for Toots and the Maytals. Hope they liked it as much as we do!)

Mindy Thomas, Program Director XMKiDS, XM Satellite Radio

#10: Wonderstuff -- Recess Monkey

Recess Monkey's Wonderstuff follows their brilliant "Aminal House"with a 2-CD conceptual mix of story and songs that could be the band's "White Album." It's a tale of bees, turtles (with "shell-shocked" jokes), rats, slacker dudes, and a male narrator named Penelope. The wonder in Wonderstuff isn't in the story. It's all about the music. This is a multi-layered mix of musical genres and soundplay featuring catchy tunes, lots of 60's influences, and a healthy dose of humor. The roll call of the bees ("To bee or not to bee") will make you laugh out loud before the reflective "Magical Meadows." "Round and Round"is a bubbly gum pop tune about a first roller coaster. If Brian Wilson had made music for kids instead of surfers, it might have been "Pool." A love song to "My Pet Rock" has a nice "feelin' groovy" sense to it. Funky twang marks "Best Friend." "Don't Want to Go to Bed"is a rhythmic litany of reasons to stay awake punctuated with kids' cries of "go to sleep!" This is an album for contemporary kids that will resound with their 60's music loving parents.

#11 - #15: Sugar Free Allstars, Nettwerk Records, Roger Day, Joe McDermott, Deedle Deedle Dees

#11: Dos Ninos - Sugar Free Allstars
It's less than a half-hour long, but this Oklahoma-based keyboard-and-drum duo put more funk and fun into this CD than most CDs twice that long, or most CDs, period.

#12: For the Kids! 3 - Various Artists (Nettwerk)
Don't be scared by the indie-r than thou playlist -- there are some great songs here and you might just discover a new favorite band of your own while you're at it.

#13: Dream Big! - Roger Day
Roger Day knows his way around a melody and a hook and the latest album from the Tennessee-based artist has a bunch of great ones wrapped around positive lyrics.

#14: Everybody Plays Air Guitar - Joe McDermott
Austin-based McDermott brings his top-notch production to another set of kid-focused tunes, plus a live cut showing just how great his interaction with audiences can be.

#15: Freedom in a Box - Deedle Deedle Dees
The Brooklyn-based Dees put on a great live show, helped by some great songwriting, which is on display here. Songs about Aaron Burr, the Underground Railroad, and other historical figures, mixed in with songs about dinosaurs, drums, and temper tantrums will get your kids bouncing.

Honorable Mention: Andre 3000, Buck Howdy, Dean Jones, Mr. David, Uncle Rock

These five CDs scored high enough to earn an Honorable Mention award in the 2007 Fids & Kamily Awards. They're presented below in unranked order.


Class of 3000, Vol. 1 - André 3000
Chickens! - Buck Howdy with BB
Napper's Delight - Dean Jones
Jump in the Jumpy House - Mr. David
Uncle Rock U - Uncle Rock

Also Receiving Votes: 57 More Albums

In addition to the 15 winners and 5 Honorable Mentions, 57 other albums received at least one vote from the 19 judges. Those 57 albums are listed below alphabetically by album title.


A Curious Glimpse of Michigan - Hipp, Kammeraad, and Friends
All the Colors - Ira Marlowe
All Together Now: Beatles Stuff - Various Artists
All Together Singing in the Kitchen - The Nields
Alphabet Songs Vol. III - Steve Weeks
Animal Playground - Various Artists
Bari Koral Family Rock Band - Bari Koral Family Rock Band
Best Friends - Ellen & Matt
Blast Off with the Pop Rockets - Pop Rockets
Brazilian Playground - Various Artists
Buggy Baloo - D. Jay
Calling All Kids - CandyBand
Changing Skies - The Jellydots
Charlie Davidson's Tricycle Club - Parker Bent
Classroom Pop Vol. 1: A Day in the Life of Fifty Capitals - Lamar Holley
Crazy Hair Day - Barney Saltzberg
Daddy's Moonlight Alligator Boat Ride - Eve & Mare
Down at the Sea Hotel - Various Artists
Dream Jam Band - Dream Jam Band
Every Child Deserves A Lifetime - Various Artists
Experience 101 - Sweet Honey in the Rock
Five Cent Piece - Randy Kaplan
Grace's Bell - Ben Rudnick
Gustafer Yellowgold's Wide Wild World - Gustafer Yellowgold
Hannah Montana 2 - Miley Cyrus
Hey, Everybody - Hullabaloo
Hootenanny - Johnny Bregar
I Wanna Play - Bill Harley
Ice Cream Truckin' - Twink
If I Could Be - Meredith Brooks
Let There Be Fun - Uncle Jim
Listen Up! - Danny Adlerman & Friends
Little Mo' McCoury - Little Mo' McCoury
Lydia Grace - The Sursiks
Make Some Noise - The Quiet Two
Meet the Robinsons - Soundtrack
Music Makes Me Happy - Robbi K
Nancy Drew - Soundtrack
New Orleans Playground - Various Artists
Ninny Cow Tea: 58 Really Short Songs with Lyrics by 3 to 5 Year Old Children - Various Artists
Park Slope Parents The Album Vol. 1 - Various Artists
Play - Milkshake
Pomes in a Pail - Various Artists
Robot Monkey Head - John Hadfield
Rock the House! - Ernie & Neal
Shrek the Third - Soundtrack
Siente - Hilary Fields and Patrice O'Neill
Snail's Pace - Eric Herman
Stairway to the Sandbox - Mother's Little Helpers
Starry Skies and Lullabies - BummKinn Band
Tastes Like Chicken - Funkeymonkeys
The Ballad of Phineas McBoof - Doctor Noize
The Naked Brothers Band - The Naked Brothers Band
Under the Mystic Sea - Maria Sangiolo
We Wanna Rock - Thaddeus Rex
Why Is The Sky Blue - James Kochalka Superstar
World Tales Volume II - Randy Armstrong, Genevieve Aichele

The 2007 Fids and Kamily Awards Are Almost Here!

Tune into Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child this Saturday, Nov. 17th to hear Amy, Bill, and Stefan announce the winners of the 2007 Fids and Kamily Awards -- the year's best kids and family music.

Or just stop by this website for the complete list and more!