Here are some of the newest songs from two of my all-time favorite artists! + an announcement for a massive global virtual event!
The last few weeks have been exciting times for the kindie community, that as two of my all-time favorite artists have been busy in the process of dropping amazing new albums and singles. First of all, Pierce Freelon has a superb sequel to his groundbreaking first album, “D. A. D” and secondly, my good friend Little Miss Ann has a new video that’s so much fun to watch!
Here are the further details of what you can expect from these new songs….
Black To The Future
(Pierce Freelon)
Pierce Freelon is back at it again with his new album, set to be a sequel to his well-praised "D. A. D." album
(Photo: Pierce Freelon on Facebook)
Pierce Freelon has been one of the kid’s music world’s biggest rookies of 2020 with his album “D. A. D” that was praised by Parents Magazine, NPR, NBC’s Today Show, and The New York Times, and has received widespread attention in the wake of the Grammy nomination disaster. It’s such a good album packed with awesome songs that celebrate individuality and family ties and also touches on hard issues such as consent.
And as they always say, one good thing deserves another, and that holds true for Freelon as he does it one more time with his newest offering, “Black to The Future”.
As with the previous album, this album is filled with Freelon’s passion for top class audio production, splicing in all sorts of sound effects like voice mails, cassette recordings of old family moments, etc to give a greater emphasis on the importance of keeping family memories.
And it’s also peppered with some tributes to powerful Black influencers and the importance of embracing who you are and being proud of your identity. For example, one of my favorite songs in this album is a song called “LeVar Burton” and according to an interview with WEE Nation Radio, Freelon claims that Burton was “my biggest hero” as he was part of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Freelon is such a massive Trekkie!) as one of the few Black heroes on television at the time and he was also the host of the legendary and multi-awarded PBS show Reading Rainbow, introducing kids to the wonders of reading and literature.
Another song I like from here is called “Zombi” with his daughter Stella. This song covers the fears and dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic and being worried about germs and getting the virus. It was originally released for Halloween and I like Stella’s amazing talent and how she describes the pandemic with her rap beats. Her talents are as wonderful as her father, and her future in the kids music world seems to be secured by this song.
And that brings us to my next favorite song from the album, “Cootie Shot” which tackles the fear of the COVID vaccination all the needles attached head on with the help of former Beyonce bassist Divinity Roxx (her Kukuza Fest performance was awesome and she has a new kids album, of which I will review soon). The song is so upbeat and is reminiscent of hip-hop songs of the 90s with its vibe and all. The song tackles having a fear of needles and the pain that comes with them, but also realizing that catching the virus is more fearsome than the needle and getting protected against the virus. I really hope the song can inspire kids to get vaccinated and back to the pre-pandemic “old normal” where they can finally do everything freely. Cootie Shot is without a doubt a song that every kid must hear. Truly a song we need right now to inspire kids to get this life-saving jab.
The standout song from this album for me has to be the album’s opening track, “No One Exactly Like You”. This is my favorite song because it involves an old VHS recording of his mother singing him the song back in the late 80s, which then fades into modern-day Pierce singing this song. This is such a life-affirming song that can touch your heart and leave you amazed. That as the song tackles the importance of individuality very much head-on, and with all that’s happening like Black Lives Matter and people always wishing that they could be someone else, this also reassures people of all the special gifts inside them that no one else certainly has. The multigenerational approach to this song is also a significant part of the song, as it shows how much good values we can learn from our elders, and even more so if they are alive.
This song and the album is very powerful and is fill of values, messages and will leave you grooving and inspired the whole day. It’s impossible to miss this out on this album, and it will certainly be one of the most celebrated kids albums of 2021.
We Go Together Very Well
(Little Miss Ann)
In my previous posts, you may have heard of all the stuff that Little Miss Ann has been up to the past year or so. Of course, I’m referring to her new album 28 Days, which Ann considers to be her “pandemic project” as she spent the past year on the album.
Late last April, she had put out a new song and music video called “We Go Together Very Well”. According to her, this song, like “Marshmallow Man”, was inspired by the rock ‘n roll sounds of the 1960s, and in the case of this song, it was inspired by the unforgettable rhythms of The Beatles. The way the song is written has a certain special touch that reflects the fun, funky rock style of the 1960s. It’s such a blessing to see Little Miss Ann bring this kind of music to younger audiences and making something that the whole family can appreciate.
The song centers around making relationships not just with people but also appreciating nature and all the other things around us. It also teaches us to look at the brighter side of things by looking at the stuff and the people that go together very well with you. This is something that will leave you singing and dancing along to the wonderful talents of Little Miss Ann.
The video for this song is also something worth checking out, that as the animations here are just as beautiful as the song itself. It’s very much well drawn and it perfectly reflects the spirit of the song with its amazing depiction of Little Miss Ann and her band, and all the appreciations nature this song has to deliver.
Before I leave, I'll be leaving you with a special announcement:
This coming June 5th, our friends at Funky Kids Radio in Australia will be conducting its biggest live event ever, and it's called the SwitchOn Telethon. It will be a live, global fundraising event that aims to raise awareness on the preservation of various endangered species across the globe for 25 solid hours in honor of World Environment Day.
It will be graced by many great artists around the globe, across the continents, from every corner of the globe. (over 100 to be exact!)
Among the acts representing New Zealand/Australia are Music with Michal, Hey DUBY, Captain Festus, and Formidable Vegtable. Dirk Scheele will be one of the acts representing Europe, and North America will have Twinkle Time, Beppie, Esther Crow, Fyutch, Nathalia, TEAM T & J, Dana's Music Playground, and my personal favorite kids artist, Laurie Berkner!
Not to mention, this virtual event will be raising funds for 25 different species as the stream will last for 25 hours, and will be raising funds to help save one species every hour.
You can find further details on what it's all about and stream the event live at the SwitchOn Radio Facebook page.
コメント