I think of Caspar Babypants as just plain happy music. Something about the tunes make even me want to dance around the kitchen – much to my daughters' dismay. Caspar Babypants' music tends to be a blend of pop and folk, with enough pop to give it a catchy bounce, and enough acoustic folk to keep it real.
On Sing Along!, released in mid-August, Caspar Babypants (the nom de kindie rock of Presidents of the United States of America frontman Chris Ballew) plays around with the call-and-response format of early American work songs and African folk melodies. Some of the songs are Ballew's own takes, often with new lyrics, of traditional tunes. Others are original compositions.
You get the fun back-and-forth of the call-and-response style from the first song on the album, one of my family's favorites, called "Bad Blue Jay," that starts like this:
– Are you a Bad Blue Jay?
– Yes, sir.
– Did you eat my seeds?
– Yes, sir.
– Were they good for you?
– Mmm… mmm.
– Is there any for me?
– No, you can't grow corn.
By the second listen, my girls were singing along, easily picking out the response parts.
Other favorites on the album include "My Flea Has Dogs," a funny little ditty that imagines all the different kinds of dogs ("Collies, terriers, pugs and poodles") hanging onto a little flea. It was not uncommon in the weeks following getting this CD in the mail to hear one of my daughters burst out with "My Flea Has Dogs," followed, of course, by a giggle or two.
I'm also a big fan of "Long Long Dream," a traditional tune with a 1970s Free to Be You and Me kind of feel, from the lilting melody to the lyrics:
life is a long long dream
dreams are a short short life that linger
but end with the sun
life is a long long dream
The traditional songs on the album are far from traditional. Ballew adds musical twists and his own words. "Ring around the Rosie," for example, starts with the traditional words, which are followed by:
ring around the lilly
the kids are being silly
clown face clown face make a smile
ring around the violet
the airplane has no pilot
zooming zooming through the sky
Caspar Babypants is particularly suited to the toddler set, in my opinion. Ballew does his own versions of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" and "Them Bones" and "Pussycat, Pussycat," and songs like "Crawl" reflect wee ones' experiences. But my 9-year-old and 6-year-old daughters had a great time, too, digging into the CD.
Ballew said in the letter he sent along with the new CD, "I make this music to help families sing together and relax and open up and endure stressful times with humor and grace." If any music can do all that, Caspar Babypants' can.
Sing Along! from Caspar Babypants is available through iTunes, www.amazon.com, www.cdbaby.com. and directly from the Caspar Babypants website: http://babypantsmusic.com. From Aug. 16 through Sept. 15, you can get an autographed CD with a special letter from Chris Ballew for $12 (including tax and shipping) through the babypantsmusic.com website.
Ruth Schubert is the managing editor of Seattle’s Child.
