Rhythm Child – Eat a Bowl of Cherries CD Review

Posted by Jeff on April 9, 2010 at 2:01 pm

RHYTHM CHILD “EAT A BOWL OF CHERRIES”

The Sound: Groovy, funky, rhythmic rock designed to get you up and moving.

In the Cafeteria, They Sit With: Father Goose, Dan Zanes, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Best Moments: Rhythm Child proves to be real good at several things. Most notably, they turn classic tunes on their heads by injecting a spicy flavor that will mobilize anyone within earshot. To call Rhythm Child’s version of Mary Poppins’ “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” outstanding would be to sell it way short. Never before has the Richard & Robert Sherman song had so much spring, zip and zing. It’s a perfect example of a band taking the familiar and totally owning it, transforming a song into something fresh and exciting. Add “Wheels on the Bus”, “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and “Oh Susanna” to the list of kiddie standards tackled with wondrous results by Norman Jones & the Rhythm Child Network – you’ve never heard these nursery school favorites sound so buoyant and alive.

The standards are great, but the band’s best work comes during their original songs. “Bowl Of Cherries” with it’s infectious groove and playful organ wins big with my girls, as does “I Can’t Play Today” which I consider to be one of the better kid’s songs released in the last 12 months. The song’s plaintive lyrics matched with the increasingly uptempo beat proves a wicked juxtaposition. That the song is off-the-hook catchy doesn’t hurt either. Again, it’s one of the better kid’s tunes I’ve heard recently.

Bonus Thoughts: Watch Rhythm Child perform “Bowl of Cherries” live during a Putumayo Kids event in August ’09 (the song was included on the label’s “Picnic Playground” disc):

Bonus Bonus Thoughts: Check out the video for non-album track “Jammy_Put_On” then download the song for free courtesy of OWTK and Rhythm Child.

Okay, Time to Wrap it Up with a Nice Little Bow: What is kid’s music? For many, it’s easily defined as one of three things: passive lullabies, ancient folk interpretations of tired songs or banal dance tunes. Those who care to dig a little deeper know that while that deadly trio certainly exists within the genre, there is also a wide spectrum of kid’s music that touches on raw emotions (in both parent and child), introspective numbers, genuine wit and humor from a kid’s point of view, and great funky, danceable music that isn’t primped (or pimped). Rhythm Child’s “Eat a Bowl of Cherries” falls into this last category. Norman Jones’ bold, rhythmic music experiment is active music for active families.

Buy “Eat a Bowl of Cherries” and receive a free Rhythm Child music shaker.

*Rhythm Child’s “Eat a Bowl of Cherries“ was provided to OWTK for review. The opinions expressed above are unbiased and true – no arm twisting took place in the review process.