Milkshake’s New LP Worth More Than Just A Minute

Courtesy: Milkshake Music

The people of Baltimore have plenty of reason to be happy considering that their team recently brought home its second ever NFL Championship.  Now with the release of its fifth album, Got a Minute?, Baltimore based kids’ band Milkshake has given people not only in Baltimore, but across the country to be happy.  This band’s original sound has been used for programming on PBS Kids, Noggin, and Discovery Kids.  For those who have perhaps never heard the band’s music, this album makes for nice first impression.  Those who are more familiar with the band’s musical styling will appreciate its new LP just as much. 

The most noticeable aspect of Got a Minute? that listeners will appreciate is its musical variety.  The album’s first pair of tracks carries something of a pop-punk sound.  The subtle additions of a keyboard part and the semi-rapping at the end of the band’s tribute to its home city make it enjoyable.  The country sound of ‘Lookin’ Out The Window’ and the polar opposite Celtic sound of ‘We Just Wanna Have Fun’ make for quite the musical dichotomy next to one another.  This is just a small sampling of the album’s musical variety.  The number of tracks on this disc comes in at a whopping thirty-three songs.  That sounds like a lot.  But the good thing of that is that the longest of those tracks comes in at just over two and a half minutes long.  To be exact, the longest track on the album comes in at two minutes and thirty-eight seconds long.  On a musical side, it’s a beautiful and gentle song that would make for an excellent lullaby.  On a lyrical side it’s just as impressive as it tackles a pretty big topic in a simple and easily accessible fashion.  Vocalist Lisa Mathews and guest vocalist Kyf Brewer sing in the song, “One hundred billion galaxies/With one hundred billion stars/I’m looking up at the nighttime sky/And wondering where we are/We must look very small from up there – a microcosmic mist/I think I’ll take your hand in mine/And make a wondrous wish.”  On the surface, wondering about the size of the universe is something that everybody does.  But for younger listeners, it’s a big deal. And this song helps to illustrate what a young mind must think in looking up at the night sky.  Heck, even older listeners may sometimes find themselves wondering much the same thing as they too contemplate the mysteries of the universe.  So it’s accessible both to younger and older audiences.  And it’s just one example of what parents and kids alike have to look forward to on this record.

The musical diversity of Got a Minute? makes it worth a listen as has already been noted.  But it’s just part of what makes the album worthwhile.  Parents will especially appreciate the album’s wide array of topics covered in the album’s lyrical side, too as pointed out in ‘Starry, Starry Night.’  Parents will especially appreciate the anti-bullying song, ‘Let ‘Em Know.’  This up-tempo piece is short.  But it’s a catchy song.  The music grabs the listeners.  The song’s lyrical side finishes the job, gripping and holding listeners.  The song’s chorus makes no bones, putting the subject right out there as Mathews and company sing, “Let ‘em know/Take a stand and make it clear/Let ‘em know/Mean kids are unwelcome here/Let ‘em know/Time to put away that fear/Let ‘em know/They’ve gotta go.”  Especially in the current climate of schools, this is a song that while it may be short, listeners of all ages will appreciate it.  This is just one of so many deep topics made accessible for younger audiences throughout the course of the album’s thirty plus songs.  It also tackles subjects the likes of: racial harmony (‘More Than Me’), environmentalism (‘Washing Machine’, ‘The Is Our earth’), and what seems to be either divorce or a child’s first day of school (‘One Day’).  Regardless of which topic that song in question covers, it does an excellent job both musically and lyrically speaking, of showing what a young person must feel in either situation.  For all the seriousness in the songs collected here, there are some more light hearted pieces, too.  For example, ‘Try It’ tackles the topic of getting kids to eat healthy foods.  ‘I’m Gonna help You’ delves into the topics of friendship and teamwork in the span of just over a minute.  Again, these are just a small portion of what listeners can expect out of the new album from Milkshake.  There is so much more that listeners will enjoy experiencing for themselves when they pick up this enjoyable album for all ages.  Whether at school or in the home Milkshake’s new album is one that will have the whole family moving and singing.  It can be ordered online via the band’s official website, http://www.milkshakemusic.com.  Audiences can also go here to check out all of the band’s latest tour dates and more.  The band’s audiences will get to see the band in a hometown show next month as it will be performing live April 14^th at Rams Head.  The show will include face painting, prizes, treats and of course lots of music.  Some of the proceeds from the show will go to benefit the Baltimore Child Abuse Center.  More information on the show is available online at http://www.ramsheadlive.com.

The official Milkshake band website is just one way that audiences can find out about performances and the band’s latest news.  Fans can also get all the latest on the band’s Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/milkshakeband.

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