Giddyup! (by Buck Howdy, Children's Music)

On GIDDYUP! Buck Howdy performs perfectly authentic cowboy music with kid-friendly lyrics, delivered with a toothy grin and a mischievous wink. High points are a hoedown-style Hokey Pokey (with some killer banjo, mandolin, and fiddle playing), "Baked Beans" (a song that discusses the sad and smelly consequences of eating nothing but you-know-what), and "My Favorite Kind of Bugs" (dead ones, it turns out). He reveals a tender side with beautifully understated versions of "This Little Light of Mine" and "Almost Home" -- without ever getting syrupy. A lovely performance of "Happy Trails," sung as duet with Laurie Berkner, gives Roy Rogers and Dale Evans a run for their money.

A combination of originals and cover tunes, Giddyup! is an engaging, funny, and musically authentic collection of songs-without-attitude. Howdy isn't hitting you over the head with educational value or obtuse sincerity. He's having fun and wants kids to join in, and if in the process they end up laughing about flatulence, singing about dead bugs, or even adding a few new words to their vocabularies, it's no skin off his nose. He's just happy to be there.

Released on: October 18, 2005
Label: Prairie Dog Entertainment
Genre: Children's Music