Father Goose Reviews

                 It's A Bam Bam Diddly! - Father Goose

It’s A BAM BAM Diddly! indeed! Can you even think of a better title for this album!? This first solo effort from Father Goose, is the first evolution of the music he’s been making with Dan Zanes for the last six+ years. He still captures some of that delicious sloppy joe style, but with a carribean spice that makes it all his own.

When this album first landed on my desk, I popped it in the player, and became overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude!! From the first track, “BAM BAM” it took everything in my being not to crank the volume and start a wild rag-tag dance party with whoever happened to be passing by. This is how music supposed to shake you!

It’s no secret that this genre of music for kids and families, or “Kindie Rock” as it’s been coined, is exploding. Maybe that’s not the right word to use, but you get my point. Like his BFF Dan Zanes, Father Goose is REALLY making music for families to enjoy together. The originals are not self-consciously written, the traditional folk songs are given new life that’s almost 3-D, and the album as a whole has a style that belongs to Father Goose himself. This is what an artist does, no matter the genre. Most importantly, it’s evident that every song on this album is loved. Both by the artists who collaborate on it, the musicians, and Father Goose himself. It’s A BAM BAM Diddly! is genuine, and that’s what makes it so good. Well, that and the fact that it’s already timeless….oh, and the cover art is pretty neat too…and the insert with lyrics and chords makes you happy …and the fact that Screechy Dan gets liner credit for yodeling. Any way you slice it, Father Goose is a real treasure when it comes to music for kids and families….and music as a whole.

So, with that said here are my top three personal faves from It’s A BAM BAM Diddly!:
Track 1 BAM BAM (turn it up real real loud)
Track 10 By And BY (sing around a camp fire, or around your living room. Sing it with friends)
Track 15 Nah Eat No Fish (I don’t like fish so I really like this one. Wish I knew it as a kid…it’s a charmer!)

Okay….gotta add two more:
Track 2 Flying Machine (Dan Zanes AND Sheryl Crow!?)
Track 5 Come Down The Line (a Father Goose orginial…he wrote this for Toots and the Maytals. Hope they liked it as much as we do!)

Mindy Thomas, Program Director XMKiDS, XM Satellite Radio