Meltdown! is yet another exclamation point in the brilliant career of children’s artist Justin Roberts. There simply isn’t another musician working today that connects as well with both children and adults like Roberts.
To understand Justin’s appeal, you have to start with his lyrics. While other children’s artists are busy covering old nursery rhymes and folk songs for the umpteenth time, Roberts has been crafting honest, witty observations about the childhood experience.
For decades, children’s music had become out of touch and disconnected with reality. Barney used to sing, “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family.” As if nothing else could be going on behind closed doors. Roberts’ success lies in his willingness to look behind those doors.
In the song “Meltdown!” a boy has a breakdown when his brother steals his crayon. Hearing the commotion, mom enters the room to find that the kids have scribbled on her antique furniture. Next thing you know, she’s having a total meltdown. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Sound like a good idea for a song? Not really. Except that Roberts has figured a way to cloak the thing in killer harmonies, call and response phrases and a final line that pays homage to Modern English’s “I Melt With You”. By singing about what really happens on the home front, kids and parents realize that they’re not alone in their respective struggles. Things aren’t perfect at home they way Barney portrayed it. But Justin let’s us know that it’s okay. It’s normal. And we can all have a laugh about it.
In “My Brother Did It,” a brother plays the typical blame game admitting that his brother was the one that spilt the milk and left the cereal box out. Nobody gets scolded and no morals are told. It’s open-ended and understated. We can all relate.
Of course, lyrics are just half the story. Justin’s penchant for pop hooks, melody and witty and touching wordplay make his music stick in your craw long after you’ve shut down your iTunes. You’ll find touches of Paul Simon, Nick Lowe, Loudon Wainwright and the Beach Boys sprinkled throughout. But in the end, Justin has a sound all his own. And that’s the honest truth.
Scott Eirinberg is the co-founder of The Land of Nod.
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