Being cool always helps a family album appeal to adults, but sometimes it gets in the way of hitting the mark with the primary audience - kids. Fortunately, the uber-hip ensemble Medeski Martin and Wood (MMW), which has turned out adult albums of envelope-pushing jazz/funk/electronica such as Combustication and Out Louder, stays focused on the youngsters with this new disc.The trio of John Medeski (keyboards), Billy Martin (drums, percussion), and Chris Wood (bass, guitar, harmonica) uses improvisation and a host of cool guest stars and children’s vocals to propel an inventive album whose theme is a musical journey. As such, sound styles trot the globe from Asia, Brazil, and Latin America.
Some of the notable destinations on the CD are the groovalicious title track (with vocals from Tim Ingham), the rollicking “Train Song,” and the Dan Zanes’-style “On the Airplane.” Among the most playful songs are the acid-jazz tune “Where’s the Music,” on which kids call out for the instrumentation whenever it hesitates, and “Pirates Don’t Take Baths,” another Ingham-led piece that uses New Orleans rhythms as it tells of hygiene-minded swashbucklers.
From the trippy cover art to the trip-taking music, this is an album with unlimited possibilities for sonic discovery and imagination.
- Gregory Keer, FamilyManOnline.com
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