| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that these "kids' choices" have been spoon-fed to young people to the point that they aren't really choices at all. Wouldn't it be great if we could teach our kids to REALLY choose for themselves?
What would kids choose, if they really had a choice? It's hard to know for sure, but the NICKELODEON KIDS' CHOICE compilation doesn't shed much light on the subject. The "choices" here, with a couple of exceptions, are the blandest of pop hits. It defies credibility to think that any of the kids we know would opt for a bunch of breathy pop ballads over "Weird Al" Yankovic or They Might Be Giants, to name a couple of artists who seem to actually think about what kids might like. Nonetheless, the CD does have some high points: the amazing Alicia Keys with Tony Toni Tone and Jermaine Paul, Brie Larson's spunky "She Said," and Skye Sweetnam's cute-as-can-be "Tangled Up in Me."
If you want to call this CD "Record Company Executives' Choice," you have a nicely produced album of recent hits by some very accomplished and popular artists. It's heavy on the ballads (again defying the "kids' choice" concept) and the attitude, but there are some strong tracks and good performances. Skip the drippiest ballads and you can have some mainstream-pop family fun.
Families can talk about why these artists are so popular. Do you think they deserve to be?
| Release date: | March 22, 2005 |
| Label: | Nick Records |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Parental advisory: | No |