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'Randy Kaplan has a new children's CD! This is big news at our house... He's obviously having a great time writing these hugely entertaining, goofy, offbeat, and truly wonderful songs. He's an incomparable storyteller, and each song is it's own little world... My only complaint about this new CD is that it is kind of driving me nuts. The grownups in this house want to hear the whole album over and over again, whereas Jasper wants to hear each song over and over again, so that it takes approximately 3 hours to finally hear them all!' -Laura Lucanidae / Stag Beetle Power! Randy's 3rd not-JUST-for-kids CD is here! It features all-time classics like Forever Young (by Bob Dylan), I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' (from Porgy & Bess), The Money Song (the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis gem), and The Derby Ram (George Washington's favorite folk song) along with original songs like The Hebrew-Speaking Bear (based on a true story), The Kid Is All I'd (brush up on your Freud, this kid is not 'alright'), Little Bee (watch out mosquitoes and roaches - here comes the queen!), and Is She a Girl or Is She a Monkey (in which Randy's pet monkey Kqxhc - of Sirius-XM Radio fame - gives Randy a piece of his mind). There are also three songs based on or inspired by the classic picture books of Ezra Jack Keats! The CD includes an 8-panel fold-out with song notes, photographs, drawings, prints, and even a Hebrew-Speaking Bear glossary! The Kids Are All I'd won the NAPPA Gold Award and was a top-5 finalist in the Nickelodeon Parents' Pick Awards. The Kids Are All I'd was produced by bluegrass, blues, and country master Mike West at his 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor studio in Lawrence, Kansas. Personnel includes Mike on banjo and mandolin, Katie Euliss (of Truckstop Honeymoon) on upright bass, Colin Mahoney on drums, Bradford Hoopes on piano and chimes, Tom Johnson on trombone, Nate Craft on tuba and trombone, John Thompson on accordion, Erica Jolene Brandt on the saw, and a chorus of kids whistling, guffawing, and even screeching when called for. The Fiordafreakos make appearances and, by special arrangement, so does Randy's pet monkey, Kqxhc! In his songs for children and their families, Randy Kaplan blends American Roots, Country Blues, and Comedic Storytelling. "He doesn't dumb it down for the kids... He just expects them to come along for the ride. And they do" (TIME OUT NEW YORK KIDS). Randy started his children's music career in Brooklyn, New York where he was a music teacher at Beansprouts preschool. He now lives in Los Angeles, California. "One of the most exciting newcomers to kids' music since Dan Zanes" (PARENTING MAGAZINE), Randy has also released seven not-REALLY-for-kids CDs with another one due out later this year. But, back to them family albums... FIVE CENT PIECE (2006) features all-time classics like "Over the Rainbow" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (a good first mantra for children) along with original songs such as "Shampoo Me" (the account of the friendly but demanding shark in the bathtub) and "Roaches" (they're tryin' on your underwear, checkin' out your grocery list, readin' your copy of Metamorphosis). The record was labeled "a masterwork" by THE BROOKLYN PAPER and praised as "gloriously wacky" by NEW YORK MAGAZINE. LOQUAT ROOFTOP (2008) also contains classics like "Move It On Over" (Hank Williams) and "Tomorrow" (from Annie) as well as originals such as "No Nothing" (the tale of the depraved cat "Nothing" and the hungry monkey "Kqxhc") and the eponymous ballad "Loquat Rooftop." The album appeared on numerous national Top Ten lists, notably NPR's. The single "No Nothing" became a SIRIUS-XM RADIO hit and was nominated for Best Children's Song of the year by JUST PLAIN FOLKS. MINDSMACK TV created an animated video for the CD's second single, "The Ladybug Without Spots," which can be viewed on Randy's YouTube channel. Excerpts from Reviews of The Kids Are AlI'dId: 'I like getting press releases with the CDs I receive for review, but sometimes
