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Sound Affects

By Cliff Annicelli -- Gifts and Dec, 10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

The primary purpose of children's music has always been to make the listener feel good. But for many kids' music releases, there's more to the equation than just jokes and silly stories. Here are a few recent CDs that benefit a cause or offer songs in which lessons are learned and advice is passed on about the many small challenges that children are bound to face as they navigate through life.

Hip-hop musicians The Figureheads are on a mission to reach out to kids, whether on wax or live at elementary schools across the country. On the group's second CD, The Movement ($16), from Kiddo Productions, Madison, Wis., the trio explores child-friendly themes like making good decisions, discovering one's voice and celebrating the power of family and friendship through songs meant to inspire joy and communication in kids of all stripes.

Every Child Deserves a Lifetime: Songs from the 'For Our Children' Series ($13.98), from Shout Records, Los Angeles, features 18 family music classics performed by superstars like Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Faith Hill and Bob Dylan (“This Old Man”!) in a collection that benefits the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The third studio CD by Robbi K, one of the few African-American women in the world of children's music, Music Makes Me Happy ($14.99), from Balidali Productions, New York, features the award-winning artist performing in styles as diverse as jazz, pop, folk, world beat, classical, blues, Broadway and calypso with help from an array of guest artists on songs like “Summer's Here,” “I Love My Teacher” and “The Peace Song.”

For grown-up grooves without the adult content there's Don “Dr. Mac” MacMannis' Ready to Rock Kids, Volume 2 ($14.95), from Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis. Its contemporary-sounding songs teach social and emotional skills, like getting along with bullies or how to derail negative thoughts.

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