November 5, 2007

Fine Tuned

A chill in the air means you'll be spending more time indoors with your kids, trapped listening to the same cutesy (OK, hokey) children's music over and over again. To ward off cabin fever, it's worth your while to freshen up junior's CD collection with some new albums:

Best Friends by Ellen and Matt If it weren't for lyrics about juice boxes and preschool graduation, these songs from husband-and-wife team Ellen and Matt would be perfect on MTV. The mixture of high-energy indie pop and harmony-driven ballads is the type of stuff you'd actually listen to without the kids. Especially ear-worthy: "Side by Side," "Under Construction" and "Juice Box Rock."

Under the Mystic Sea by Maria Sangiolo You'd swear you were listening to Natalie Merchant. Singer-songwriter Maria Sangiolo's voice and folk-pop style will take you back to your college days when 10,000 Maniacs ruled the airwaves. Sure to please your own little maniacs are "Giggly Girl" and all the eco-friendly songs urging kids to protect the earth.

Miss Lori's Campus: Music 'n' Movement Together With childhood obesity on the rise, parents appreciate anything that gets kids to move. This album from PBS KIDS host Lori Holton Nash does just that. The dance routine laid out in the upbeat pop number "Show Me How You Dance" is bound to give the whole family a workout.

Classic Animal Songs With more typical tots' fare, this album has some kid rock favorites, including Rafi and Dan Zanes. The songs talk about animals urban babies don't have a chance to see too often – salamanders, alligators and kangaroos. Check out the amusing "Baby Kangaroo," which sounds very barbershop quartet – something else kids don't see or hear much of these days.

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