Songs Just for Me, $20. Available at justforme.com.
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I received Songs Just for Me, a CD of 12 tunes with my children’s names in it. I feared kitschy songs performed by the likes of Disney characters at intolerably high, squeaky pitches. I worried the names would be dropped into the songs like a badly dubbed foreign film – bringing to mind a similar CD I had received as a gift. Actually, Songs Just for Me couldn’t disappoint because I had only the lowest expectations.
So you can imagine my delight when I found myself singing along. The kids were excited to hear their names and danced and sang along. The familiar tunes – from “My Bonnie” to “Alouette” to “Hush Little Baby” – are rhythmically varied, moving from rock and roll to Latin to country, keeping them from becoming stale and turning into a din of background noise. The singers sound like they’re having fun and those inserted names come off beautifully.
The kids hit repeat over and over on the CD player and I have to say, I didn’t really mind. They were getting a bit of an interactive education as well (unaware, of course) through the altered lyrics, like the well-loved stroll through the zoo in “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and colour identification in “This Old Man.”
A CD of children’s music that doesn’t grate on the nerves. Thank you.
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