Latest Bari Koral Not a Stretch For Kids

It's not just kids who love sweet things. Given a choice between kidney pie or chocolate chip cookies, who wouldn't choose the latter? The Bari Koral Family Rock Band plays fair with your tykes, giving them a clear choice on their newest CD, THE APPLE TREE & THE HONEY BEE.

The dulcet tones of Bari Koral have wafted through our home for years, ever since her first self-titled EP. You don't get a whole lot of pretense with the Family Rock Band – these are straight-ahead, single entendre songs for tots and their entourages. "Big Truck" is perfect for transportation-obsessed kids. "When I'm Five" is all about natural curiosity about what's ahead when you grow up (and only slightly older). "Back to the Farm" is about... well, going back a farm.

If you want to get your brood up on their feet and moving, the disc starts with "Dancing Bear." There's also a disco-fied "Birthday, "Fall Down," and the amusement park anthem, "Roller Coaster," with its refrain "everybody up, everybody down."

The originator of adult "lunch and learn" yoga programs, Bari has taught at numerous Fortune 500 companies, getting grown ups to relax. In contrast, her upbeat music tends to get kids to move, with songs like "Yes/No." After playing together for close to a decade, the Family Rock Band (Dred Scott, Dan Cohen, and Eric Halvorson) is a tightly knit unit. Under the production of Nashville-based legend Brad Jones, the group has delivered a sprightly scented, family friendly selection of kindie originals.

Technology is a funny thing. When I was three, I don't think I could have managed sorting through my parents' record collection, carefully putting a record on the turntable, turning on the stereo, and playing music I want to hear. But Matthew (3 1/2) has no problem flipping through two columns of CDs, determining what he wants to hear, and playing his choice. He's got previous Bari Koral releases locked in memory (I'm sure spelling will play a role in the future as he sorts through discs). THE APPLE TREE & THE HONEY BEE will make a nice addition to his rotation. Because kids love sweet things the most.

THE APPLE TREE & THE HONEY BEE is available through Bari Koral's website, Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble.

Here is a video shot last summer at Kidstock, where the band played "Anna and the Cupcakes":