Phil’s Picks’ 2021 Top New Family Music Albums Shows The Present, Future Of The Genre

Courtesy: Uniroo Records

The genre that is family music is one that has always stood out from the rest other genres that make up the musical universe.  That is because by and large the music that fills that space is constantly so diverse even as the lyrical themes in so many songs are largely the same.  Even being so much the same from one song to the next, the themes are important because they promote individuality, self-confidence, creativity, and so many other items that are key not only for personal growth and development in younger people, but for continued development in older audiences.  To that end, those themes are just as accessible for younger listeners as for their more seasoned counterparts.  In the same vein, the diversity in the genre’s musical content is just as enjoyable if not more so.  That is because honestly, more often than not, it is more diverse than in so much mainstream music for older audiences.  At the same time, it will again, more often than not, appeal to such a wide range of audiences.  Keeping all of this in mind, the world of family music really is just as deserving of having its own list of top new albums as any other genre, and that is why this critic has continued to present exactly that for so many years.

This year is no different from past years, either.  This year was another successful one in the family music world.  New albums from veterans, such as Laurie Berkner, Koo Koo Kanga Roo, and Lucky Diaz & The Family Jam Band joined new records from up-and-comers, such as Ben Tatar & The Tatar Tots, Twinkle, and Stacey Peasley among many other established acts.  All in all, this year’s field of new family music albums represented the present and future of the genre very nicely, as today’s list will show.

Keeping in mind everything noted about the importance of the content in every family music record, developing a list of the year’s top new albums in the genre is never easy.  This critic tried, though.  The result of those efforts is this critic’s view of the year’s top 10 best family music albums and five additional honorable mentions, for a total of 15 new offerings.  So without any further ado, here for your consideration is Phil’s Picks 2021 Top 10 New Family Music Albums.

PHIL’S PICKS 2021 TOP 10 NEW FAMILY MUSIC ALBUMS

1. Koo Koo Kanga Roo – Slow Clap
2. The Story Pirates – The Strawberry Band
3. Sarah Watkins – Under The Pepper Tree
4. The Bright Siders – A Mind of Your Own
5. Lucky Diaz & The Family Jam Band—Crayon Kids
6. Laurie Berkner – Let’s Go
7. Twinkle – It’s OK To Be Me
8. Gordie “Crazylegs” MacKeeman – Folk For Little Folk Vol. 1
9. Tracy Bonham – Young Maestros Vol. 1
10. Genevieve Goings – Great Indoors
11. Tunes With Tim – We’re All Human
12. Stacey Peasley – Make It Happen
13. Jenn Cleary – All Together Now
14. Kelli Welli – Let’s Go Pistachio
15. Ben Tatar & The Tatar Tots – Seconds

That’s all for this year’s list of top new family music albums.  The new year is just around and the corner and no doubt, lots of new family music is coming with the new year, too.

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Lishy Lou and Lucky Too Another Contender For One Of 2013’s Best Children’s Albums

Courtesy: Sugar Mountain PR

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band return next Tuesday with the group’s third full length studio release.  Lishy Lou and Lucky Too! The L.A. based five-piece’s new album comes only months after the release of its first ever EP, fantastico!  It is yet another fun and original release from Lucky and company.  Even more, it serves as more proof of what makes children’s albums just as viable as “grown-up” albums if not more so.  That is primarily because much like so many other children’s acts, the band has managed to come up with a new sound on each of its albums so far.  Even its sole EP bears a style and sound different from its previous pair of full length releases.  It has continued that tradition with this album, too opting for something unlike any other children’s or grown-up act.

Lishy Lou and Lucky Too! Is nothing like fantastico! or its previous full length releases.  This time, the band takes listeners of all ages way back in time.  It goes back to the golden days of broadcasting when radio was the only means of broadcast entertainment for audiences.  It does this with its own family friendly “radio comedy.”  For those that perhaps might not know, the days of radio broadcasting “saw” some of the greatest ever programming make its debut.  And the “show” put on by Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band is just as entertaining as any original family friendly radio show put on during that great era.  It might be a bit of a stretch, but the closest comparison that can be made in this era is perhaps to that of PRI’s (Public Radio International) “A Prairie Home Companion.”   Those that are familiar with that landmark radio show are welcome to debate that comparison.  That’s just the view of this critic.  Perhaps for those that are not so familiar with the work of Garrison Keillor and company, maybe this review will be the catalyst to get said individuals interested not just in this new album, but also in “A Prairie Home Companion” and other public radio programs.

The overall presentation of Lishy Lou and Lucky Too! is wonderful fun for the entire family.  The jokes are groaners, obviously.  That’s not a bad thing.  Any grownup that allows themselves to do so will find them such groaners that they’ll laugh at them, much like those told by Svengoolie’s rubber chicken friend, Kerwyn (BERWYN!).  Any Me-TV fans will get that reference.  The jokes aren’t all that audiences will appreciate in this new record.  The introduction of new characters Pockets, Time Travelling Tina, Milt, Alistair, and Chantal is a great touch to the record.  New friend Pockets is a wonderful throwback to the late great Harpo Marx.  He only talks through sound.  And his skits are among the funniest on the entire album.  Parents and children alike will love how he gets tricked into introducing a song all about him after having just gotten into a little argument with Alistair.  It would be a surprise if this moment doesn’t leave listeners of all ages laughing to some extent.

Lucky and company offer listeners of all ages so much enjoyment throughout the course of the band’s new album.  It pays homage to old time radio with its overall presentation.  This is wholly original and more than deserving of praise.  It’s nice to see someone trying to develop a starting point to get today’s audiences interested in broadcasting’s golden era.  This critic challenges anyone to find another act—children’s or otherwise—that has done what Lucky Diaz and company have done here.  Of course for the homage paid to classic radio on this record, the band also pays tribute to the golden days of film, too.  It does this through the inclusion of its own acoustic take on Meredith Wilson’s ‘Till There Was You.’  The gentle acoustic guitar set against the song’s vocals and the harmonica part will bring back fond memories of the Morton DaCosta directed 1962 classic, The Music Man.  It is played with the same gentility as when it was sung between Marian (Shirley Jones) and Professor Hill (Robert Preston) as they stood on that bridge under the moonlight.  For all of the funny moments offered to audiences throughout this record, this one moment stands out like a shining beacon unlike anything else included in its sequencing.  And it makes the rest of the record that much better.  For that matter, it makes one wonder what a full album of jazz covers would sound like form Lucky and company.  Yes, that’s a hint to Lucky and company should they read this critic’s review.

Lishy Loud and Lucky Too! has so much heart and so much substance to listeners, as one should be able to tell at this point.  Whether one is familiar with the band or not, this is still a solid record from beginning to end.  Its skits are wholly entertaining.  Its cover of a jazz classic adds even more heart to the album.  And with any luck, because of the overall presentation, it could even serve as a starting point to get listeners of any age interested in classic radio and the history of radio entertainment in general.  So much more could likely be noted of this album.  But that would entail aimless rambling for days.  Keeping that in mind, the album will be available next Tuesday, October 1^st.  It can be ordered direct from the band’s website at http://luckydiazmusic.com/merchandise/lishy-lou-and-lucky-too-by-lucky-diaz-and-the-family-jam-band.  More information on this and all of the band’s albums is available online at http://luckydiazmusic.com, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Diaz-and-the-Family-Jam-Band/182600891967, and http://twitter.com/Lucky_Diaz.

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