Parents’ Choice Awards : Audio : Music
Parents’ Choice Gold Award:
Picnic Playground
Fall 2009 Music
Ages: All Ages
Producer:
Putumayo World Music
CD Price:
$14.98
Review:
Putumayo has, once again, delivered another
joyous half hour of children's music. Picnic Playground deliciously
serves up a dozen songs about food from around the world. American musician Jay
Mankita's opening song, the James Taylor-esque "Eat Like a Rainbow," sets the
tone. Pascal Parisot sings a wonderfully playful song in French about how
everything in his house is organic; his food, his drink, even his parents. Jose
Conde with Ola Fresca celebrates his favorite dish in the Cuban salsa of
"Bolitas de Arroz con Pollo." There is a brilliant steel drum flavored song
about "Ice Cream" from Trinidad's Asheba; a quirky little song about the joy of
tasting different foods in "Goûtez-les" from Franck Monnet of France, and some
Dannish reggae from the band Safari, who sings of a rare delicacy: peppered
pelican. Elsewhere, the South African vocal group Kheswa sings a lilting song
about going to the market, while the American group Rhythm Child rock out with
their song "Bowl of Cherries," and the Australia group Bomba sing their
Caribbean influenced song about tomatoes "Pomodoro" in English and Italian.
American singer Johnny Bregar even offers up a great swing rendition of the old
forties hit "Shoo Fly Pie," and Canadian singer Maggie G. cooks up a great song
called "Let's Bake Cookies." The collection ends with a magnificently silly,
horn fueled, Ska song about milk, sung in German by the band Donikkl. The CD
comes with a hallmark Putumayo booklet that describes the background of each
song and performer; full lyrics are available online.
Lahri Bond ©2009 Parents' Choice