Bari Koral Family Rock Band

Rock and Roll Garden

© 2010 Loopytunes

So apparently The Big Apple is THE place to be if you want your kids in a great music class. Add New York singer/songwriter Bari Koral to the list of amazing music teachers bringing their love for music and kids to the world of family music. On Rock and Roll Garden (her first full-length CD), Bari Koral delivers 11 tracks of rock and pop bliss.  “The Backpack Song” is a great little story about finally being big enough to pack your own backpack for school. “Best Friends” kicks up the rock slightly and has a singsong style that, surprisingly, doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out. (I’ve actually found myself singing it when my 4-year-old isn’t around.) One of my favorite tunes on the disc has to be “Big Sounds,” which gives kids the chance to get completely immersed in the song. Rock and Roll Garden is merely a launching pad for what looks to be an amazing career for Bari Koral and, in turn, a heap of great music for you and your kids. 

Roger Day

Why Does Gray Matter? …and Other Brainy Songs for Kids

© 2010 Roger Day Productions, LLC

Roger Day comes out rockin’ with his fourth release, Why Does Gray Matter?—described on his website as “Bill Nye meets Schoolhouse Rock.” Obviously, the music focuses on that super-computer that runs our entire body. The title track kicks off with a question: Why is the brain such a boring color? “The Left Brain/Right Brain Song” is a beautiful waltz between the two halves of your noodle. The left brain “sings” about math, organization, and doing taxes, backed by soft, classical music; then the right brain comes in wanting to “rock the house, go wild and create,” guitars and drums blasting. Why Does Gray Matter? does a great job of explaining the different aspects of the brain and all you can do with it: concentrating; feeding your brain (with both the right food and knowledge), and even what happens when you drink a chocolate milkshake too fast. Day delivers it all in a musical package that will give the tots’ bodies some exercise as well.  Once on this brain train, the kids aren’t going to want to get off.

Uncle Rock

The Big Picture

© 2010 Jackpot Music

Like a lot of kindie musicians, Robert Burke Warren (aka Uncle Rock) got his start in music playing for grownups. In fact, his first gig in the early ’80s was in a band fronted by now-famous drag queen RuPaul. After moving from Athens, Ga. to New York City, Warren landed a spot in the band The Fleshtones. Years later, after being a stay-at-home-dad, Uncle Rock was born. With his latest release, The Big Picture, Warren comes screaming back. The first track that hi-lights his 20-plus years of rock-and-roll experience is “Shake It Off!”, a rockin’ tune about what to do whenever you get a little hurt. (Listen closely, too, for the subtle nod to Generation X and Sid Vicious.) Warren’s Southern roots shine through on the blues-rock “Sneaky Snake,” and “My Friend Bigfoot” sounds like it could (and should) be covered by Southern Culture on the Skids. The Big Picture is 14 tracks of musical genius for the entire family. If Uncle Rock is not in constant rotation at your house or in your car, what are you waiting for?