I was going to write off Miss Nina as just another children's music performer, not on par with an Audrarox or Princess Katie. Then I took a closer look at the liner notes. Nina Stone is "all about the kids," as she puts it.
"It's common nowadays for performers to tailor their children's music to reflect the parents' musical tastes," she says. "But honestly, I'm a passionate advocate for children. I believe some of the power [of music] is lost if the performer is bent on producing carbon copies of adult music packaged for little ones."Now dem's fighting words!
Instead, Nina turns her perspective to the preschool set and uses some literary references on her new CD, SHA DOO BE DOOP. "The Brown Bear Rap" incorporates the Eric Carle/Bill Martin classic into song. "Wild Things" pays tribute to Maurice Sendak.
Considering her audience demographic and mission statement, songs like "Wash Our Hands" and "Ridin' In My Car" are no surprise. The rocking "Angry Song" validates the emotions that kids feel when things don't go their way:
This is my angry song
When everything is going wrong
I'm mad and sad and full of steam
And all I want to do is yell and scream
SHA DOO BE DOOP may not be groundbreaking but it does offer easy themes, gentle encouragement, and positive reinforcement, with a dash of rock on the side. A former Gymboree instructor, Brooklyn resident Nina currently teachers music and is expecting her first child. I expect some lullabies to follow in the future.
SHA DOO BE DOOP will be available on April 16 from Miss Nina's website, Little Monster Records, Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes.
Here is her video for the song "Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands":
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