For the Kids Too!

• Artist: Various Artists
• Rating:
• Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Type: Children, Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Children

Review

Nettwerk America and VH1's second installment in their For the Kids series offers up an another eclectic roster of alternative, folk, indie, and modern rock faces to raise money for the Lili Claire Foundation. For the most part, the songs are genuinely fun, endlessly playful, and appealing to both young and old. Choice covers -- Bay area singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson turns Prince's "Starfish and Coffee" into a Dave Matthews-style acoustic romp, Matthew Sweet gives the Beatles' "Goodnight" all of the lullaby warmth that it deserves, and Ron Sexsmith takes a walk down Sesame Street with "Very First Day" -- and spirited originals abound, but it's the lack of pretense that permeates the project as a whole that makes each offering so listenable. So why does Jason Mraz feel the need to turn "Rainbow Connection," a track that already appeared on the first collection, sung by Sarah McLachlan, into a hack Jeff Buckley/Chet Baker cabaret piece? Somewhere Kermit the Frog is ripping out the webbing between his toes. Bonus creep points, however, for including Robyn Hitchcock's "I Often Dream of Trains," a moody ballad that wouldn't seem at all out of place emanating from a Roald Dahl book, in which Hitchcock provides the following insight, "When you're young, death is a long way off, like a very distant railway station on the horizon. Maybe death is collecting the tickets on the train." ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I'm Different		Butterfly Boucher	(2:25)
I Like to Run, I Like to Jump	David Mead	David Mead	(2:44)
At the Bottom of the Sea	Ralph Covert	Ralph's World	(1:58)
Everybody Came	Duke McVinnie	Shivaree, Ambrosia Parsley	(3:14)
Catch the Moon	Lisa Loeb, Warren Defever, Dan Littleton, Elizabeth Mitchell	Lisa Loeb, Elizabeth Mitchell	(3:06)
Starfish and Coffee	Prince, Susannah Melvoin	Matt Nathanson	(2:59)
John Lee Supertaster	They Might Be Giants	They Might Be Giants	(2:00)
Rainbow Connection	Kenny Ascher, Paul Williams	Jason Mraz	(2:31)
Peanut Butter Toast	Luther Wright	Sarah Harmer	(2:19)
Your Attitude Towards Cuttlefish	Paper Moon	Paper Moon	(3:34)
I Often Dream of Trains	Robyn Hitchcock	Robyn Hitchcock	(2:45)
My Favorite Things	Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II	Nathan	(2:41)
The Very First Day	Joe Raposo	Ron Sexsmith	(1:57)
Meow Meow Lullabye		Nada Surf	(2:40)
Good Night	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	Matthew Sweet	(3:16)
Telephone Song	Kirsty Hawkshaw	Kirsty Hawkshaw	(2:29)

Credits

Matthew Sweet (Producer), They Might Be Giants (Producer), Ralph Covert (Producer), Kirsty Hawkshaw (Producer), Jason Lehning (Producer), Jason Lehning (Mixing), Elizabeth Mitchell (Producer), Scott Hull (Mastering), Mark Jowett (Executive Producer), Robin Eaton (Producer), John Rummen (Illustrations), Sarah Harmer (Producer), Brad Jones (Producer), Dave Chalfant (Mixing), Jim Powers (Producer), David Mead (Producer), Louie Lino (Engineer), Martin Terefe (Producer), Butterfly Boucher (Producer), Jamie Anderson (Layout Design), Brandon Friesen (Producer), Zach Dychs (Engineer), Elegant Too (Producer), Tom Gates (Executive Producer), Ian Dittbrenner (Engineer), Ian Dittbrenner (Mixing), Gracie Folds (Vocals), Louie Folds (Vocals), Sonny Jim (Vocals), Sonny Jim (Guest Appearance)