I Never Thought I'd Utter "Perry Farrell" and "Juice Box" In the Same Breath.

While we Gen-X parents may have outgrown our Lollapalooza days (Primus so rocked it in '93) it doesn't mean we're ready to hang up the proverbial Docs just yet. Which is why the Kidzapalooza summer concert has become such a rollicking annual success. ... [More]

Getting Funky for NOLA

Do you ever listen to music and think, "Seriously, how do people make these kinds of wonderful sounds?" Me too. And I just did when I checked out Funky Kidz. ... [More]

Too Much...Magic Bus

Kevin Meeker, teaches one of the more popular Music for Aardvark classes in Brooklyn. But for those of you in the rest of the country (including Staten Island), there's always the CDs from his kids band, Opus Ditty.

Baby Loves Hip Hop. And Dinosaurs. And Eating Dog Food - But That's Another Story.

The way I see it, kids are ridiculously obsessed with dinosaurs, and they love a kicking beat. It was only a matter of time before the two came together. ... [More]

Free Kids Music. As in Gratis. Complimentary. On the House.

Kiddie Records Weekly has digitized one great dime-store 1940s-1960s children's 78 album each and every week since 2005. ... [More]

Tell Me More Stories

Amy Friedman’s wonderful multicultural Tell Me a Story compilation was easily one of our favorite CDs of 2006. So of course we’re thrilled that she’s at last released a follow-up with Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic. ... [More]

Wow, It Really Is a Super Tuesday.

It's Tuesday, Feb. 5th, the day that They Might Be Giants release their new two-disc, CD/DVD combo Here Come the 123s.

What Are Other Children's Albums Missing? Oh Yeah, Samuel L. Jackson

It's rare that my toddler will instantly take to music that she hasn't already seen on TV, but that's just what happened when I pressed play on A World of Happiness.
... [More]

Shiny Happy People Dreaming Jam Band

Imagine if the B-52's, Abba, REM and Devo moved into a house with four keyboards and a giant dress-up closet. And then imagine that they sang Beatles and Queen and Carpenters songs and sometimes rapped. ... [More]

Sing Your Math

One of my few claims to fame is that I can sing the twelve cranial nerves to the tune of My Favorite Things. Hey, it got me an A in anatomy and physiology. ... [More]

Royally Rocking

Right now, with writers striking and award shows canceling, we're in need of some good entertaining. Thank goodness for Princess Katie & Racer Steve stepping in to save the day by pre-releasing Fast & Feisty, a fast (and feisty) tribute to all that's great about kids music. ... [More]

If Mama Can't Go to the Sippy Cups, Bring the Sippy Cups to Mama

The one downside to The Sippy Cups' new concert DVD release, Electric Storyland Live at the Great American Music Hall is it just may bum your kids out -if only in that they'll wish they were there instead of at home. ... [More]

Humpty Dunce

I know I'm not the only new mom who spent sweet quiet moments alone with my newborn singing the Happy Days theme song. What can I say, I could never quite recall an appropriate tune when I needed to. ... [More]

Editors' Picks of 2007: Reads & Tunes

Kristen: Thanks to Taro Gomi's Scribbles book, I've gotten many an uninterrupted shower and bathroom break. That's almost priceless. Liz: Joanne Dugan's 123-NYC counting book goes all the way up to 20 for a change.

Merry Christmas to All and To All, Free Legally Dowloaded Music

With all my gift budget tapped, I tried to save some cashola by searching the (extremely picked through) Christmas music offerings at the library. Bad call.
... [More]

Kiss These CDs, They're Irish

Enough with the four thousand versions of "Lullaby, and Goodnight" already. For something out of the ordinary but with the same lulling qualties, I'm loving Putumayo's new compilation Celtic Dreamland. ... [More]

And The Award for Least Annoying Kids Music of 2007 Goes To...

If you have one long car ride to the in-laws planned this holiday season, or even one trip to the mall where you're likely to get stuck in 16 hours of traffic just to get out of the parking lot, you might want to consider updating your savage kid-soothing music selection. ... [More]

Peace, Love and the Blankies

I think we can all conjure up a few music artists today whose tunes are snappy, but whose life choices and lyrics might be a little, um... toxic. That's why I dig cartoon character pop stars. ... [More]

This Farm is Muy Loco

Lately I've been mixing it up with some music and learning all in one with Professor Pocket: Our Silly Farm Adventure. This much lauded, award-winning CD was created by two sisters-in-law, and mixes English and Spanish dialogue through both spoken word and singing. ... [More]

And Another Generation Gets To Love Paul Simon

With a non-stop flow of kid's music producers using all kinds of schtick to sell their (sometimes not-so-great) albums, it's hard to track down simple music that you and your kids will want to sing along to. ... [More]

BFF

Who slipped that new indie rock album into my car's CD player? Oh wait, that's no indie rock album, that's kids' music. From a duo called Ellen and Matt. Who knew? ... [More]

Saying Uncle, Emphatically

We love Uncle Rock. Love him. Looooove him. And if you like your kids music in the form of good ol' acoustic American rock, you're going to love him too. ... [More]

Music for Teeny Beboppers

To me, listening to Jazz is like ordering at an Indian restaurant. I may have no idea what's on the menu, but I always love whatever I get. This counts for Verve Records' Jazz for Kids: Sing, Clap, Wiggle and Shake, which serves to demystify Jazz and seriously entertain at the same time. ... [More]

Old Alt Indie Country Artists Don't Die, They Just Make Children's Albums

The other day, my son and I were wandering aimlessly in a children's clothing shop when I started humming along to the piped in music. "Wait a minute," I said. "That's Rosie Flores! Awesome!" An iTunes search for the song led me to The Bottle Let Me Down: Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides. ... [More]

Who Doesn't Like Jimmies?

God love the Wonderpets soundtrack, but I'm just about one long car ride away from "accidentally" cracking the CD in half. So on a recent trip, I was happy to have another CD on hand to try out: The premier album from NY-based kids band, The Jimmies, Make Your Own Someday: Silly Songs for the Shorter Set.

Party Animals

I'm a firm believer that children can appreciate the tunes as they were intended to be heard--i.e. singers that don't make you pray for an irreparable crack in the CD--if you just give them a chance. Which is why the CMP staff have always been such fans of the Putumayo Kids series of music. ... [More]

Candy For Your Ears

Remember when you were little and someone introduced you to the local candy store for the first time--and they gave out samples? Free! That's how I felt when I discovered Hip Young Parent: The Children's Music Alternative. ... [More]

Beautiful from A to Zzzzzzzzzz

Sometimes I look at comfy cozy baby accessories and wonder why business suits aren't made in silky chenille too. It seems like we always give up the best things as we grow up. Things like lullabies. ... [More]

Lullabies Not Just a Mother Could Love

Working with children for many years has exposed me to copious amounts of "kid music," most of which is very—um—catchy. (Read: it runs on an endless loop inside your head, making you want to schedule yourself for a lobotomy.) ... [More]

Jackson Pollock for Your Ears

Whenever I hear about a new "alternative" kids album, I grab it off the shelf, listen hopefully to the acoustic arrangement of "Sheri Had a Little Lamb" (or whatever) and bang my discerning ear drums against a wall. To me, music should be serious business. And by business, I mean something more tolerable than your average American Idol tryout. More artistic integrity, less Sanjaya. ... [More]

We're Gonna Rock This House

How can you not be intrigued by a band referred to as "the Aerosmith of kids music?" This isn't to say that they're going to cast the lead singer's barely legal daughter as a Lolita in their next music video, but if you stick with the music part - that's a pretty accurate description of South Jersey boys and much lauded kid rockers Ernie and Neal. ... [More]

21st Century Flower Child

When I first was contacted about Flower Child, a dvd of children's poetry on video, I admit I had visions of dirty-nosed hippie children reciting spoken word pieces by the light of lava lamps. I was wayyyy off. The dvd is wonderful. ... [More]

Kid Rock (Not the Creepy One)

My first concert: Elvis. I was four. And I was singing at the top of my lungs. Now, three decades later, I'm more in love with music than ever. And like any lovesick eighth grader worth her salt, I like... ... [More]

No Songs 'Til Brooklyn

I'm not always crazy about theme-y kids albums. 100 Songs About Spiders - whoopie. But when I hear the theme revolves around my own home base of Brooklyn, En-Why--well then I have to check it out ... [More]

Kids Music, 90210

If Patrick Dempsey likes a particular crib or Courteney Cox is enamored with her new sling, I'm more than delighted for them. Really. But a celeb endorsement just doesn't weigh too heavily in my opinion of a product. However when I hear that there's a kids' album out by the preschool music teacher for all of Beverly Hills--okay, I've got to admit I stop and take note. ... [More]

C-Ellabrate Good Times

It's almost hard to imagine, but children's music hasn't always been as wide ranging as it is today. However, there were some early pioneers, like the wonderful Ella Jenkins. ... [More]

The Wonderful, Terrible Twos

Those of us who have ever dated a musician (ahem) can agree that deep down, they are all children. Which is why it's perfectly logical that the faces of a hip act like, say, The New Amsterdams, also are the minds and mouths behind a fantastic new kids' band. ... [More]

To Think That I Saw it On Elizabeth Street

Sometimes my initial response to new music is, "Wow, that's really, um, different." And by different, I mean bad. But sometimes different is good, as in the case of Different, the debut album from Elizabeth Street. ... [More]

Tune In, Turn On, Bring the Kids

The other day I found myself stuck in a stalled subway car with no reading material. Digging around my bag, my options were limited to a handful of old ATM receipts, or the Sippy Cups new Electric Storyland CD, which I'd been toting around unopened for a week. ... [More]

Crawfish Roasting on an Open Fire

I know there are plenty of Christmas CDs out there these days, but frankly I'm afraid to play half of them for my daughter, for fear that I'll be stuck listening to them every single day for the rest of the year. 

Playlist by Zanes

If you haven't heard of Dan Zanes, you haven't been through labor and delivery. Or at least not in good long time. While many families Zanes for his folksy, sing-along musical style, his "House Party" videos on the Disney Channel, and above all, his wild hair, Zanes also frequently lends his name and his talent to some important causes. ... [More]

Stories Worth Telling Over and Over (Sorry Grandpa)

When I hear about kid stories on CD, I imagine some generic, B-list voice over talent reading Peter Rabbit as my brood rubs their eyes. But Tell Me a Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World from writer/producer/mastermind Amy Friedman was a different, um, story. ... [More]

Pump Up The Volume

Sometimes you want music for your children that teaches essential pre-school concepts like counting or sharing. But then there are times you and your kids just want to rock. And that's when you need a copy of the brand new CD from Brooklyn-based Audra Rox: I Can Do It By Myself! ... [More]

The Other Hendrix

I love to find moms making great kids' music. And I love it even more when those moms turn out to be smart, funny, and cool – the kind of mom I would want to hang out with at the park or at soccer, if only she would have me. ... [More]

One-Stop Rocking

Wouldn't it be amazing if there was one site that sold all the cool music that CMP recommends? And wouldn't it be even more amazing if you didn't have to dig through a bunch of other music--the kind we don't recommend--on that site to find the good stuff that has been carefully tucked away? ... [More]

The Princess Who Rocks

Not being a big fan of today's little girl "princess culture", I was skeptical about a new kids' album by a group called Princess Katie and Racer Steve. But Songs for the Coolest Kids turned out to be an exciting new find for me. ... [More]

There's a Future Johnny Cash in There

Homegrown Music

If you need to escape some of the more commercial-sounding kids' music that has been playing on a loop in your CD player (and in your brain - get it out!), Elizabeth Mitchell's new release, You Are My Little Bird, will clear your head for sure. ... [More]

Looking for Mr. David

When you hear of a children’s artist by the name of Mr. David, you probably have a certain image that comes to mind.  Chances are, the image is not that of a twenty-something Bay-area rocker and former skate punk who was heavily influenced by his hippie parents and their 60s's music collection. ... [More]

Radio Moosehead

For the past two years, this household's been on a steady musical diet of Sesame Street and The Wiggles.  Don't get me wrong--I love me some Rubber Duckie--but I've been meaning to try something a little more exotic. ... [More]

Coffee Shop Music For Kids (Hold the Caffeine)

I have found a fantastic new kids CD. In fact if you play it with your eyes closed and a latte in hand, it's almost like listening to a cool new indie band in your favorite coffee shop--if only coffee shops had Hot Wheels scattered around the floor. And the faint odor of soggy Cheerios. ... [More]

Go, Baby-O

Is your rendition of If You’re Happy and You Know It boring you and your toddler to tears?  Could your Wheels on the Bus could use a little somethin' somethin'? If so, Baby Loves Jazz: Go Baby Go is just what you need to rediscover the fun – and the funk – in kiddie tunes. ... [More]

Bob's Yer Uncle

If you haven’t yet caught on to the indie-rock-for-kids movement, Plays Well With Others, the new release from Uncle Rock would be a briliant place to start. ... [More]

The Rhythm is Going to Get You

Every once in a while, I come upon some new children's music that makes me want to grab other parents on the street, plop my headphones over their head and scream, "You've got to hear this!" Frances England is one of these arists. ... [More]

Find Your Inner Silly

If I have to hear Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy one more time, I just might check myself into the mommy loony bin. Thank goodness for musician Jim Gill and his newest release, Moving Rhymes for Modern Times. ... [More]

The Next Best Thing to Springsteen Pulling Her Up on Stage

While I know from experience that kids love hearing their own names in songs--even my own frighteningly off-tune renditions--I've got to admit I'm wary of those "personalized" CDs. The few I've heard have been absolutely, heinously, eardrum shattering. Then I discovered Name Your Tune, and suddenly I'm changing my tune. ... [More]

Music to Calm the Savages in the Back Seat

Summer travel season is in full swing, which means it's time to drown out the "she's touching me!" cries from the back of the car with some fresh, fun music. Spin Your Web, the third release from award-winning singer/songwriter Mary Kaye, is one CD you’ll want to have on hand on that four-hour drive to the lake.

Give Peas a Chance

Before we even popped in their CDs, The Sippy Cups won our award for best kids' band name. After giving them a listen, it only got better. Kids Rock for Peas is a live album of covers of mostly late 60’s and early 70’s psychedelia, including Pink Floyd’s Bike, The Rolling Stones’ She’s A Rainbow, and The Beatles’ Dear Prudence. ... [More]

I Left My Ear In San Francisco

While I haven't lived in San Francisco, I've spent enough time there to know that it's just plain cool. Cool cafes, cool bands, cool parents with cool children. That's why I had the feeling I was going to like popular Bay Area kids singer/songwriter Enzo Garcia. ... [More]

Have Your Cake and Rock To It Too

"Cake,” a new music video from Charity and the JAMband previewed May 24 on the Indie Food Channel.  What a great way to check out one of our favorite new discoveries in children’s music.
... [More]

Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll?

Remember when you were both younger and would go see bands play at the local club? If you're like me, your kids came along and put an end to that. Is it really worth forking over seventy bucks for a sitter to see your nephew's garage band fumble its way though Sweet Home Alabama? ... [More]

Folk for the Little Folks

If you're curious about children's music artists like Trout Fishing in America or Justin Roberts, but are too indecisive to actually purchase an entire CD, here's an easy solution. ... [More]

The Pod(cast) People

In many ways, technology has made raising children a whole lot easier. Just look at the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! But one of the greatest inventions for moms and dads, in our opinion, is the podcast. ... [More]

Better Listening Through Chemistry

For any of us who ever rocked out to girl bands like the Go-Gos or the Bangles, the all-mom band Housewives on Prozac will remind us even though we've traded in our legwarmers and boomboxes for maternity jeans and minivans, we can still rock. ... [More]

I Smell a Mutiny

We love all the favorite kid's music artists, and by golly, we sure hear enough of them at my house. However, after playing Parker Bent's new release "I Am Your New Music Teacher" the other day, my daughter is definitely jumping ship.

Bleeding Ears, So Not Cool

As we've pointed out here before, the problem with most children's music is that the more your kids love it, the more you want to jump out the window. Allow us to point you towards a few remedies--three bloggers with both children and excellent musical taste.

You'll Listen to This Even When Your Kids Aren't in the Car, Man

The true test of a purchase-worthy kids cd is whether you would listen to   it on your own. And as a certified Bob Marley junkie, I think I've died and gone to dreadlock heaven. ... [More]

Achtung Baby!

Classic. Soothing. Lullabies. Brisa's selection of music for children is easy on the ears and ranges from Mozart to Elvis. ... [More]

Now You Can Save Your Singing for the Shower

If you are one of those moms who’d love to take your kid to music class but dreads singing in front of anyone except yourself in the bathroom mirror, then the Music's Everywhere dvd is the perfect solution for you. ... [More]

Whip it good. And that's an order, young man.

When word got out a few months ago that the Evil Mouse Empire was releasing an album of Devo songs performed by kids, many of my hipster brethren and I were dismayed. Personally I had visions of a KidzBoppian reworking of some of the most influential American rock music. ... [More]

Lullabies for EMOmmies

Music is very important to us here at Cool Mom Picks Headquarters, even more important, rock-a-bye'ing our babies to sleep with style.

Around The World in 39 Minutes

Call me crazy, but I think if I hear another cheesy kid's song belted by an extremely happy male and female duo, I may just lose my lunch. I'm not sure what makes us think that kids like to listen to purple dinosaurs and four men in matching shirts when it's perfectly obvious that if they'll listen to that stuff, they'll probably listen to anything. ... [More]