|
|
Music Views
Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch––CD Review
by PKelly on May 22, 2005
|
Hi again,
I’m getting a little tired of seeing that same photo of me up there. I’m going to have to have my webmaster change it, I think.
The good news, though, is that I’ve had Sho, Mo & The Monkey Bunch on my iPod all week and it puts me in a good mood every time I hear it. I’ve been listening to it on the train to London every morning on my way to rehearsals. If it can lift me out of rush hour hustle and bustle it’ll do great things for you and your kids. At home, in the car, anywhere. Children's music just doesn't get much better than this!
Let me give you some highlights––
Five Little Monkeys gets things off to a funky, dancing start. A wonderful vocal by Shoshana Sperling, good spare dance arrangement with plenty of monkey sound effects. This is the old fave about monkeys on the bed, one fell off, etc. Great fun.
Beatles-style brass band and snare drum will wake you up in The Morning Call.
Lil’ Chick is comic book hokum in country western style. Faberge sings this with a delightful southern accent. Even if you never wanted to know what would happen if you poured hot water on a chicken's leg, this is sure to entertain.
It doesn’t last more than a minute or so, though before we hear the opening percussion and guitar riff for Honk Honk, the albums clear hit single. This is the one I keep coming back to time and time again. Sho rips into this old camp tune with a vengeance and turns it on its ear. The drummer turns the beat over and over and you just can’t help dancing and singing along!
The tempo stays up with Posses & Convoys and Brown Cow and so does the fun level. One of the special things about this CD and why it will be appealing to so many is that it moves and changes quickly, never dwelling on anything long enough to lose your interest. Silliness and sound effects and funny accents abound and keep you laughing.
After the engaging bounciness of No Way the feel and tempo of the album takes a distinct change. As advertised on the cover, the first half is designed to pick them up and the second half to put them down. This leaves you free to listen to one half of the CD or the other on its own, depending on whether you’re trying to stimulate your kids or get them ready for naps and bedtimes.
My favourites of the slower half are You Belong to Me and Love Bird. (Those of you who remember Steve Martin’s movie, The Jerk will remember You Belong to Me as a duet between Steve and Bernadette Peters. In the film Ms Peters has a wonderfully funny moment when she suddenly whips out a trumpet and plays the solo in the middle of the song. Here the solo is done as a sweet vocal “tromnet” imitating a muted trumpet.)
An odd but interesting idea was constructed for the final track Lullaby. The song seems to finish after three minutes and then the CD continues to play silence for nearly seven more minutes. Then a brass band fades in and someone starts telling us to wake up, rise and shine, etc. More silliness and ad-libbed conversation amongst the band and some kids.
Don’t over-think it! It’s all part of the charm of Sho, Mo and The Monkey Bunch. Get the CD and play it for your kids, and for yourself. You won’t be sorry!
The Monkey Bunch
|
|
|
Tell a Friend
Bookmark
