What’s the Story?
Victor Johnson's down-home ditties are propelled by squeaky, sliding guitars, catchy mandolin, and tootin' horns. KID AT HEART also features the sounds of a Hawaiian Slide, violin, mandolin, and kicking percussion. Sing-along standards like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" are given a welcome country blues makeover, while some classics, like a rootin' tootin' "Coming Round the Mountain" and a mellow "This Little Light of Mine" bring to mind the folk-for-kids tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Preschoolers will enjoy counting beetles along with "Ladybug's Picnic" as well as Johnson's inventive call-and-response take on the Three Little Pigs, in which hollering wolf howls is strongly encouraged.
Is It Any Good?
This upbeat selection of lively roots and blues songs gets tiny tykes a-shouting and grown-up toes a-tapping. Parents who like to avoid condescension in their kid's music will welcome this delightful marriage of smart, sophisticated blues/swing/folk musicality (that's good enough for adult ears) and appealing kid content.