Sing With Me

By RUN ALONG HOME
Price $14.99
Age 2 - 7 yrs.

The fifteen songs on singer-songwriter Tracy Newman's stellar Sing With Me CD have the relaxed, playful feel of a gorgeous spring day on which nothing needs doing other than savoring each moment as it unfolds. The album opens with 'I Like to Walk My Dinosaur,' an irrepressibly fun tune that amply demonstrates Newman's flair for writing lyrics that tickle funny bones young and old. Among several other standouts in this regard is the marvelous 'Daisy's Baby Sister' ("Daisy's baby sister's wearin' snazzy little knickers and Cinderella stickers in her hair-air-air.") All this entertaining wordplay is served up amidst beautiful harmonies and melodies impeccably realized by Newman and her cohort of very talented musicians. The consistently lovely, predominantly acoustic arrangements contain lots of tonal and timbral variety, wide-ranging instrumentation that goes a long way in enriching any youngsters' musical ear. If we had to pick a favorite from the album (not easy, given the garden of delights), it would be 'Hey Ho,' a perfect song for moms and dads to serenade little ones with and that epitomizes Newman's knack for merging beauty and playfulness in ways that make for an intensely enjoyable and engaging listening experience.