Returning Favorites

By C. Annicelli -- Gifts and Dec, August 1, 2009

In a children's music space chock full of new releases, longevity may be the best seal of approval when deciding what to buy. With that thought in mind, here are several new titles from children's music artists with well-established bona fides.

Meltdown ($12.98), from Sandman Records, Santa Barbara, Calif., is singer-songwriter Lanny Sherwin's latest collection of "upbeat and thought-provoking" songs for kids and their parents. The CD's 12 tunes mix clever lyrics and catchy melodies with positive messages in several musical genres.

Singer-songwriter Mary Kaye unveils her fourth collection of children's songs in Music Box ($15), from Mary Kaye Music, South Berwick, Maine. The CD features more of Kaye's folk-rock songs filled with story-like lyrics and distinctive characters for toddlers and younger tweens.

Grammy Award winners Cathy & Marcy team with Washington rapper Christylez Bacon for Banjo to Beatbox ($7.99), from Community Music, Takoma Park, Md. The EP-length CD breaks musical ground by mixing Cathy & Marcy's traditional banjo and washboard based songs with Bacon's contemporary aesthetic on tunes like "Hip-Hop Humpty Dumpty."

Long-running children's musical trio The Learning Station returns with Kid's Country Song & Dance ($15), from Don Monopoli Productions, Melbourne, Fla. The 18-song CD features classics like "You Are My Sunshine" mixed with original tunes designed to inspire kids to get up and dance.

Austin, Texas-based musician-educator Laura Freeman sings about the four seasons in Somersault Season ($15). Freeman's latest collection features 16 songs written to keep "active bodies moving all year long," interspersed with spoken word interludes in a variety of languages.

VideoGame Briefs

New York-based Take-Two Interactive Software's 2K Play label will expand its Nickelodeon licensed preschool game line-up this holiday season with the addition of game titles based on Ni Hao, Kai-lan (pictured). Like the TV show, the games will feature educational elements themed around learning Chinese language and culture ... A more established video game heroine, Nancy Drew, recently returned to the video game aisle in her 20th PC game title, Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships, from Bellevue, Wash.-based Her Interactive. Players must find hidden treasure in order to rescue Nancy's friend Bess, who has been kidnapped ... Los Angeles-based 505 Games U.S. has grown its line of Discovery Channel branded pet simulation games with the release of Parrot Pals for Nintendo's DS. The game allows players to name and nurture a virtual parrot, along the way teaching it to speak and perform other tricks ... In more simulation news, Konami Digital Entertainment, El Segundo, Calif., updates ant farm play for the electronic age with Ant Nation for Nintendo's DS and WiWare. In this strategy game, players must train and manage their ant population in order to defend against menacing invaders and natural disasters.

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