[.ca] Happy Lemons

From Amazon.com:
It's always refreshing to find a kids' album that doesn't seem uniquely designed to drive adults crazy. As you pop in this CD and putter, you might not even notice that its bouncy, folksy, Squeeze-meets-John Prine-meets-Lovin' Spoonful music is for kids, until you hear phrases like "belly button," "dinosaur," "mud puddle"--and the familiar strains of "The Muffin Man." Happy Lemons is Chicago-based artist Ralph Covert's third children's music release, after the popular Ralph's World and At the Bottom of the Sea. As ever, Covert writes (and sings) most of the songs on Happy Lemons, from "Sammy the Dog" to "Dinosaur Rumble," though familiar songs like "Pony Boy" (arranged by Bruce Springsteen) and Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "What's New, Pussycat?" also make appearances. This effervescent CD manages to offer up blues, folk, pop, and jazz elements without a hiccup. A particular favorite is the silly but harmonious "Betty Botter," which tinkers with the traditional tongue-twister about making bitter batter better to great effect. Special guests on the album include blues artist Corky Siegel, rock drummer Matt Walker, and an exuberant chorus of kids. Children's book illustrator Giselle Potter (Gabriella's Song, Kate and the Beanstalk) designed the whimsical cover for this CD, giving form to the trombone-playing dog Sammy, Pony Boy, and many, many happy lemons. Whoever thinks that "fun for the whole family" isn't possible hasn't explored Ralph's World. --Karin Snelson

Still the best out there:
Having greedily devoured Ralph's first two kids CDs (you DO have them already, right??), I was a little worried about the reviews I'd read here talking about a drop in quality. Don't even think about it. This is another first-class blast of breezy pop tunes, that if anything touch on more styles of music than before. The pop-smarts are still first rate, and you and your kids will soon have a new crop of melodies rattling around in your heads all day long. Watch out for the last cut though, the beautifully winsome "Riding With No Hands" actually had me in tears. Great stuff, and again, not to be missed.

Still the best -- even after 200+ times played!:
We love this CD! I just can't say enough great things about this and the other Ralph's World CDs. My 14-month-old and I have listened to this CD at least twice a day for the past three months, and I still enjoy it. I can't say this about many CDs, especially not kiddie CDs. In fact, I hesitate to call this a "kiddie CD", since it has enough musical integrity, humor and charm to appeal to adults as well. Best of all, my son loves it, too. At the mention of the word "Ralphie", he excited runs over to the CD player and starts pushing buttons. As soon as he hears the first song, "Happy Lemons", he starts bopping and smiling. It's the best. I highly recommend this CD.

Not his best:
Ralph Covert has made three albums specifically for kids. His first (the self-titled Ralph's World) was a wonderful CD with charming songs my kids loved. His second (At the Bottom of the Sea) was by far the best collection of kids' songs I've ever heard. Sure, even though my kids don't know what roman numerals are, they still thought "Eighteen Wheels" was hilarious when the adults were laughing so hard we were wiping our eyes. My 3 and 6 year olds loved every song on the second album just like I did. This CD, however, recycles many of the things that made his past CDs so successful, and because of that, it feels like a cheap imitation. The first song, for instance, "Happy lemons for happy people," is the EXACT SAME MELODY as the "Coffee Song" from At the Bottom of the Sea. It was a good melody the first time, but old and tired the second. Having heard his other two kid CDs, I wish I could give this CD only 3 stars. But you must understand that ANY Ralph's World CD is better than most other childrens' artist on the market, hence 4 stars. If you love Ralph and have the first two CDs, you'll buy this no matter what my review, and you'll find a few nice songs on it. But if you're looking for fantastic CDs and have never heard of this artist, please purchase either Ralph's World or At the Bottom of the Sea. You'll have one of the two best childrens' music CDs ever made, and a great set of music for your whole family.

Not his best:
MY 3 1/2 year old son and I are great fans of Ralph. This is the third album of his that we have purchased, and feel that Happy Lemons pales in comparison to the other two. Some of the songs (Sammy the Dog, Barnyard Blues) are two fast for my son to follow the words and hence difficult for him to sing along with. Also Dinosaur Rumble which I had high hopes for seems depressing. If you want a great dinosaur song, listen to Laurie Berkner's "We are the Dinosaurs". It seemed to me that Ralph was trying to get another album out quickly to capitalize on his previous success. I hope he takes a little more time and care before putting the next one out.

Kid music that's not annoying to parents!:
We got this CD when our twins were about 9 months old. They now are 15 months old, and they will point to the stereo and ask for this CD. So, we all hear it at least 4 times a day, and I don't even mind! The lyrics are SO much fun to hear - like so many good animated movies, the adults might get the humor on a different level, which is part of why I'll willingly put this on whenever the boys ask for it. This was a gift from some family friends near Chicago, and I mistakenly thought that Ralph was a local artist that we wouldn't be able to find here in NH. I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear that I was wrong - we will be purchasing the other CD's very soon.

• Happy Lemons
• Belly Button
• Sammy The Dog
• Things That I Like
• Pony Boy
• Say Hi To The Animals
• Clean Up
• Dinsosaur Rumble
• The Muffin Man
• What's New Pussycat?
• Barnyard Blues
• Betty Botter
• Boy Who Cried Wolf Sheepishly
• Puddle Of Mud
• Riding With No Hands