Baby Shower Gift of the Week: Baby Bidou MP3 Player
Posted on Feb 26
An MP3 player for babies? Okay, let’s just admit it. ALL baby gifts are really for the parents, right?
We love this cute bear-shaped player because it has built in speakers (no, you do not put headphones on a baby–ever!) and you can set it so that the volume fades as your little devil falls asleep… and because you can load it up with Rockabye Baby lullaby renditions to let your sweet child dream on and on.
It’s made from non-toxic plastic, is shock proof and you can even record yourself singing a lullaby (or message, if you’re shy) to replay at bedtime.
Want to make this the best baby shower gift of ALL TIME? Pair it with our Digital Download Gift Package, which is a beautifully packaged digital download card, so that the recipient can pick their favorite album from our whole series.
What Your Kids are Listening To: Justin Bieber
Posted on Feb 24
If you have a young daughter between the ages of 8 and 13 you have definitely heard of Justin Bieber. He’s a baby faced singer who can shut down a mall with severe pandemonium on a single visit. His most recent hit climbing the charts is “Baby” and it features Ludacris rapping on it. When I heard that Usher had signed this little guy to his label, I was quick to dismiss him and his music because I felt it was going to be another slick youngster singing about things he had no experience with. I was only half right. Bieber’s “Baby” is definitely an overproduced attempt at a hit single especially with the rap verse, but at its core the song is an innocent track about young love. If you listen to the stripped down version without all the voice affectation, it could even pass as a throwback to those simple pop songs about love from the sixties. Pass on the studio version and give Bieber a chance. Your daughter will think you’re the coolest parent alive.
Singing Along with Rock Stars: A Primer
Posted on Feb 22
Let’s be honest, most of us will never play guitar like Jeff Beck, hit the drums like John Bonham, or craft a song like Bob Dylan. The one thing we are all capable of doing is attempting to sing along with our favorite songs. Can we hit the same notes as Mariah Carey? Probably not, but there are a few rockers out there who didn’t get the job based on hitting the high notes. Here are the top three singers whose voices are probably just as imperfect as yours. That way, you and your kids can sing along and sound just like the rock stars.
3) Bruce Springsteen
Even Springsteen has admitted that his first band wouldn’t let him sing. We don’t put on The Rising because of its vocal qualities, we put on Springsteen for his moving lyrics and passionate songs. Singing along with Bruce never makes you feel inadequate, it does however make you want to get in your car and drive somewhere.
2) Brian Johnson
When your first album with a new band is Back In Black, it’s hard to top it. Johnson stepped in to lead AC/DC after Bon Scott passed away and he brought with him a voice that sounds like he started singing after screaming his throat raw for the past four hours.
1) Joe Cocker
I don’t know what is up with Joe Cocker’s voice, but I do know it works. Usually Beatles’ covers don’t live up to their originals but Cocker’s version of “A Little Help From My Friends” is a whole new song with a gravelly voice that gives it a new kick. Also check out “When The Night Comes,” you’ll be able to sing along and sound just like Joe himself.
Things Our Kids Will Never Know: The 8-Track
Posted on Feb 19
Last year Cheap Trick released their album, The Latest, on CD, Vinyl and 8-track. It was the biggest selling 8-tack of the year (if that is something to get excited about.) It got me thinking, growing up we used to look through my parents’ record collection with both awe and wonder. We were amazed that they actually had decent taste in music as was evidenced by their Beatles’ Rubber Soul LP, and we were stunned that people could actually listen to music on these plastic discs with grooves. It always sounded scratchy and the needle never landed exactly where it was supposed to. We thought our cassettes were so much better and then with the arrival of compact discs we could not believe that we ever listened to music that was not digital.
Now as I raise my own kids, I’m struck by the enormous leaps in technology and how my children do not know anything before an mp3. My five-year-old son gets upset when he watches a TV set that is not hooked up to a DVR because he is unable to pause live TV. In my lifetime I have seen music move from vinyl to cassettes to CDs to mp3s. My kids started on mp3 tracks and I wonder where they will go fr
Prince VS Spell Check: War of the Words
Posted on Feb 16
Teachers complain that most teenagers today rely on Spell Check instead of learning proper spelling, but I would argue that the true culprit is Prince. Born Prince Rogers Nelson in 1958, the man is responsible for some of the greatest pop music of the last 30 years. He’s given us “Purple Rain,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.” He also wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “I Would Die 4 U.” For some reason Prince does not like to spell things out.
It began with his 1982 album 1999, with a track called “All The Critics Love U in New York.” Since then it has gone downhill, even calling his 1999 album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The worst example of Prince reworking the English language was probably his latest album in 2009 which he called LOtUSFLOW3R. At this point it seems Prince has given up on letters altogether and is attempting to spell using numbers. Prince’s reach has spilled over to the next generation as Fall Out Boy took it to another level when they released “Thnks fr th Mmrs” off their 2007 album, Infinity on High. That doesn’t even sound correct.
It is safe to say that no other musical performer alive today is able to make a guitar do what Prince can make it do and for that reason alone it’s worth letting your kids hear his awesome music (but make sure it’s the clean songs.) Just try and keep them away from the track listings and album covers when listening to UR music.
Journey Valentine’s Day Coloring Page
Posted on Feb 12
Will you be our Valentine? We promise: we’re forever yours, faithfully.
Enjoy this super sweet Valentine’s Day coloring page in honor of our new arrival, Lullaby Renditions of Journey, out now!
Check out this exclusive sneak peek of our lullaby rendition of Don’t Stop Believin’!
Make sure to check out our other cool coloring pages and activities, including healthy baby food recipes, Rockabye Baby cupcake toppers and more!
3 Reasons Your Kids Will Dig Journey
Posted on Feb 12
The band Journey has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, had 18 top 40 hits and “Don’t Stop Believin’” is the top selling catalog track on iTunes. It goes without saying that arena rock like this is tailor made for young kids to dance to. It seems a little harder for the tykes to get into the ballads than the rock anthems but here are three reasons why your kid will dig Journey.
3. Haircuts
Check out any picture of Journey from the late seventies to the early eighties and your kids will ask why their hair looks like a shaggy lion’s mane. Even current pictures of the band’s line up prove that Journey are still rockin’ some awesome do’s.
2. Album covers
Get past the first three albums Journey released in the seventies and you’ll see a pattern emerge. Each album beginning with Infinity is multi-colored offering out of this world imagery on what seems like a psychedelic trip. The art work is cool for parents but fascinating for kids as well.
1. So What? – So let’s dance!
Now I am fully aware that you would have to be a derelict parent in order to let your youngster check out the rated-R Caddyshack. But it couldn’t hurt to let them check out the few seconds where Rodney Dangerfield cranks “Anyway You Want It” from his golf bag.
Journey Trivia: Lead Singers
Posted on Feb 11
When people think of Journey they think of the last scene of The Sopranos, Rodney Dangerfield telling us to dance, and Steve Perry pledging undying love as he balls up his fists in “Faithfully.” But Steve was not the first singer to lead the band, in fact he wasn’t even the second. Perry joined the band in 1977 and was on board when they recorded their best known hits including “Don’t Stop Believin,’” “Any Way You Want It,” and “Open Arms.” Can you name the first two singers to lead Journey?
Gregg Rolie was the first to handle lead vocals for the band and then Robert Fleischman joined Journey for a short lived stint in 1977 before Steve Perry took over until 1998. How many singers came after Perry and what were their names?
Steve Augeri replaced Steve Perry in 1998, but he was dropped in 2006 and Jeff Scott Soto took up the position for a few months until Arnel Pineda took the helm after Journey saw him on Youtube singing covers of Journey songs. And you thought posting those little videos online of your kids singing would lead nowhere. Of the five founding members, only guitarist Neal Schon has been with the band the whole time since 1973.
Lullaby Renditions of Journey Out Today!
Posted on Feb 09
Don’t stop believing in peace and quiet! Visit your favorite cool baby boutique or our website to get yours.
Check out this exclusive full-length sneak peek of our new addition and let us know what you think.
Don’t Stop Believin’
Stuff We Like: Vampire Weekend
Posted on Feb 05
The way the music industry works is if something hits then producers repeat that sound until even little kids grow tired and refuse to listen to it. But every now and then a new sound comes along that is so original and sonically pleasing that it doesn’t divide an audience and can be listened to by kids and their parents. If you’ve heard of Vampire Weekend then you know what I’m talking about. These four Columbia University graduates released their debut self titled album in 2008 and have followed it up with Contra which came out in January. They dress like preppy kids, but it is their sound that has really caught on. Described by the group as “Upper West Side Soweto”, Vampire Weekend is like nothing you’ve heard in the past ten years. Employing different tempos and foreign beats they manage to swing from mellow laid back vibes to hyper guitar licks to a percussion that sounds like the drummer has downed 10 Red Bulls in a row. It’s this fast paced tempo that gets my kids up and dancing. Throw in the fact that lead singer Ezra Koenig has such a distinct voice that he is able to alter perfectly depending on the song and trust me, your kids will be jumping all over the furniture listening to this group.
Check out their new single “Cousins” to get the little tykes dancing around:
