Friday 25 July

Barney. The Good One.

A certain purple dinosaur has given this dude a bad name. But I'm thinking Barney Saltzberg is taking the name Barney back (yeah!) with 30 incredible children's books and four really swell CDs in his arsenal, including his latest musical artistry, Crazy Hair Day. (Did this pacifist just make a weaponry reference in the other Barney's general direction? I think I definitely did.)

Maybe it's my Austin roots, but I'm really loving the laid back folksy brilliance of this album, which sounds like a relaxed rainy Sunday afternoon--the children's music equivalence of the great background soundtrack you want to your day.

The CD features a good collection of celebrity guests including Dustin Hoffman (he does a fantastic reading), Jackson Browne, and Vonda Shepard, and all of the artists' royalties are donated to pediatric cancer research. He's evidently pretty in with the A-listers because the great Zach Braf is recording a voice for Barney's character, Stanely Birdbaum, for a Crazy Hair Day animated DVD project coming up.

So basically, this Barney is the real deal talent who has my attention, my appreciation, and my respect. I'm pretty sure he does not assure me that we're a happy family, but he does write really good music. And that's more than enough for me. -Laura

Congratulations to autographed CD winners Carissa D, Danielle, Elisa M, Jay D, and Robert W!

 

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