If you’re a fan of good ol’ folk music and would love to get your kids hooked on it too, then Sarah Lee Guthrie’s Go Waggaloo CD is a must for your collection. This 13-tack disk from the artist is a fun musical romp through traditional songs and some new ones—you’ll even find three songs with never-before-released lyrics by Woody Guthrie.

Though some of the songs on Go Waggaloo may have familiar lyrics you’ll find a new take on the traditional folk songs and some great little surprises like a cool scratching drum machine and even a song recorded on a cell phone by the Guthrie family while on a road trip. I think it is the sort of mystical “Oni’s Ponies” but can’t be sure. (I wonder if Sarah uses it as her ring tone?) Sarah’s not the only voice on Go Waggaloo. You’ll hear her husband Johnny Irion, the couple’s two daughters and a handful of family and friends (Arlo Gurthrie, Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez Seeger).

Though it wasn’t quite up there on the list of my kids’ favorite CDs (they prefer music with a little less folk and a little more funk), I found it a nice, relaxing listen compared to some of the crazier children’s tunes you’ll find in our collection. Plus I found it rather endearing to know it was the Guthrie’s daughters’ voices I was hearing sing along. Nothing like a good family singalong! My fave songs are “Go Waggaloo,” “Take Me to Show-and-Tell,” and “If Mama Had Four Hands.”

If you’d love to introduce your children to folk music then Go Waggaloo is the way to do it. Tailored to children with fun vocals, lyrics and music, your kids will be singing “She’ll be comin’ ‘round the mountain” right along with the Guthrie family in no time!—Emily

** Giveaway! Smithsonian Folkways is giving away two (2) copies of Go Waggaloo! Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each:

•   Visit Go Waggaloo’s page and listen to samples from the tracks. Leave a comment telling us your favorite!
•   Become a fan of Boutique Cafe on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
•   Follow Boutique Cafe on Twitter (@BoutiqueCafe) and leave a comment telling is you’re our newest follower.
•   Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
•   Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: December 29, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Wehaf and renee, the winners of the Go Waggaloo 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!