Thank You for Joining the Happy Club (by Billy Kelly, Children's Music)

THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE HAPPY CLUB is a kid-oriented record from Pennsylvania-based singer-songwriter Billy Kelly that's gaining viral success via the Web and, recently, the radio (Kelly was just featured on NPR's All Things Considered). The 11-song collection combines a lot of goofy, innocuous lyrics -- the song "People Really Like Milk" catalogs sunshine, Halloween, mustard, being clean, and other random nice things -- with some that have a slight edge, as in the tune titled "Don't Worry About the Government": "I pick the building that I want to live in / My building has every convenience / It's gonna make life easy for me." This approach gives the CD a School-House-Rock feel that's super fun if not entirely comprehensible to very young kids who are musical beginners.

From the thoughtful guitar, percussion, and other instrumental elements that make up this album, Kelly is obviously just as much serious musician as child educator. Thankfully for parents, this makes the record a good listen from a musical perspective, with a soft alt-rock sound that's somewhat akin to adult contemporary tunes. Coupled with Kelly's light-hearted vocals, the CD has vast appeal for kids and adults alike.