Whenever we climb into the car, the first words out of my daugther’s mouth are, “Can we listen to my music?” Somewhere along the way, I found myself trading in my music for the wee ones music. As a teen of the late 80s/early 90s, this was sometimes especially frustrating. And then one day it happened: alternative music for me had become Elmo versus Raffi.
Then one day we saw Dan Zanes on Noggin. My hubby turned to me and said, “Hey, it’s music for the cool kids” and I was excited. Here was music that I could listen to with the windows rolled down. Music that I could, potentially, listen to over and over and over again. Because, let’s face it, when you’re under three feet tall and there are errands to run, you pretty much dictate what gets played on the dial. Surprisingly, after listening to Dan Zanes House Party, I have discovered he is one of those very rare artists that I will actually listen to even without the kids in the car with me. House Party is a fave of mine and is perfect for almost any occasion.
So when I saw his new album in Starbucks, I snatched one up. And after listening to his newest CD a few dozen times, I can confidently and enthusiastically recommend Catch That Train! It is a wonderfully catchy album with lots of great songs you’ll want to listen to over and over again.
The thing about Zane’s music is that it’s so much more sophisticated than the normal kid stuff. It has many different layers of sounds, changes and is quite lyrically beautiful. I find myself humming Mariposa Ole quite often–even the fact that I can’t speak a word of Spanish hasn’t gotten in my way.
Next time we all pile into the car and my little one says, “Mommy can we listen to my music?” I will turn to her and say, “No honey, we can listen to our music.” That is until she starts asking for Kidz Bops. Then all bets are off.
