Review Text
Lightnin' Wells' fifth CD release Jump Little Children: Old Songs For Young Folks draws from the musical wellsprings of America's past to create a varied program of blues, old-time tunes, vaudeville, folk, and just plain silliness geared to the younger listener. The musical accompaniment is as varied as the song material itself, featuring guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, ukulele, and "fun" instruments such as the toy piano, train whistle, kazoo, and slide whistle. Kids just love Lightnin' Wells. On it's surface, that seems an unlikely claim for an acoustic bluesman who can sing so convincingly of grown-up worries. Still, the fact is undeniable: the most responsive and joyous audience members at a Lightnin' Wells show are very often the youngest. These pieces, expertly re-mastered from home recordings made in a relaxed environment over a fifteen-year time span, distill the chemistry that Lightnin' shares with his youngest listeners. Without doubt, this CD has adult appeal as well. (It takes an older ear to gain the fullest meaning of some of the pieces.) Best of all, though, it gives parents a unique chance to connect their children to some of the deepest roots in our musical heritage -- safe passage to a sometimes rowdy past. Every one of these 20 tracks brings a beautiful gift to listeners of any age. These songs, some of which are over 100 years old, still sound fresh and vibrant in the twenty-first century, and CDs like this help to ensure the preservation of this music for future generations to enjoy and cherish. Make this CD a part of your child's library, or your own.
