Pop Fly hits a home run with my kids
January 26th, 2009
We love a good CD, especially if it encourages family-room dance parties. Whether it’s Putumayo Kids’ Brazilian Playground or ABBA’s ABBA Gold, if it makes us move and groove without getting on Mom’s nerves (sorry to say many children’s CDs do that) it’s added to the collection. Well, we just added Pop Fly and I highly recommend you do the same. Yes, it’s a children’s CD but the fact that I’m a fan should tell you it’s really, really good.
The man behind Pop Fly is Justin Roberts. Apparently this guy had another big hit in 2006 with Meltdown (his 5th CD–where have I been?). After listening to Pop Fly I’m sorry I missed that one; I’m seriously considering buying it. But back to the CD at hand…Pop Fly is Justin’s 6th CD and a wonderful example of his “kindie” rock style (think of it as family indie rock). “Pop Fly,” the title song is all about the “occasional triumphs of a distracted outfielder” and is probably my most favorite; it really gets us moving! A couple songs later you have “Henrietta’s Hair” (my youngest daughter’s favorite) about the imaginative creatures living inside Henrietta’s hair. I don’t think my kids ever skip a song when listening to Pop Fly; I can’t say the same for some other CDs in our collection.
My family’s not alone when it comes to being fans of Justin Roberts’ new CD. Pop Fly was selected as one of Amazon.com’s “Best Children’s Albums of 2008.” To make the Top 10 list on Amazon.com is quite the accomplishment and yet no surprise once you’ve listened to Justin’s music. Don’t take it from me; here are some recent quotes from some very reliable sources:
- Los Angeles Times: “Childhood observed with wit and empathy and one of the most mellow rock ‘n roll voices around. Roberts weaves deft lyrics through layers of beautiful sound.” – Lynne Heffley
- Out with the Kids: “Without a doubt, the greatest children’s record ever made.”
- My oldest daughter: “Awesome! Cool! Awesome again! Fun! The first time I heard it I played it over and over again because I liked it so much. My favorite song would probably be all of them–it’s so hard to choose. Plus it’s a great CD to listen to while folding your underwear.”
- My second-oldest daughter:“I haven’t heard many of the songs except for ‘Pop Fly’ or ‘Henrietta’s Hair’ but I really like ‘Pop Fly’ because it’s a very good tune and very easy to sing along to and easy to remember. And ‘Henrietta’s Hair’ is a very cute song. It has very good details and is really funny about all the bugs.”
If you too find yourself hosting in-house dance parties for the entire family and would like to dance to something other than Now That’s What I Call Music 4,002 (okay, it’s only up to 29), you just HAVE to pick up Justin Roberts’ Pop Fly. One Pop Fly CD…$14. A child folding her own clothes…priceless. –Emily
*** Giveaway! We are giving away one copy of Justin Roberts’ Pop Fly CD! Visit Justin’s website and read his bio. Then return and leave a comment telling us what you found most interesting about him and/or his music; please include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: February 2, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
* Congratulations to Jennifer B., the winner of the Pop Fly CD giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!
* Congratulations to Jennifer B., the winner of the Pop Fly giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!
January 28th, 2009 at 6:20 am
I found it interesting that Justin’s music was compared to everyone from Elvis Costello and Fountains of Wayne to Paul Simon and Nick Lowe. Talented young man!
January 28th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I think it is so neat that he was a Montessori teacher and a band player, who then went on to write children’s music. I love this music, thanks so much for telling me about it! I hope I win:) Thanks for a great giveaway!
January 30th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
My son enjoys watching the four music videos on his site! I love that he was a Montessori preschool teacher. I suppose that now he’s a well known singer/songwriter means he gave up his day job. I bet his concerts are fun to watch!
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