Kindie Quick Hits: Peanuts for Tykes, Bazillions for Q and U

The early development years are very important, duh. We prided ourselves on selecting only the finest children's music to play for our progeny. Of course, that was the intention...until they began to crave repetitive plays of Sesame Street CDs, the Wiggles, and any assortment of other performers they heard through osmosis or the outside pernicious influence of relatives, playmates, and kindie-related social media.

It's eye-opening to watch a child cultivate their own musical tastes. I reviewed Miss Nina a few years ago and put her CD in a pile with other kid's discs. Our (then) two-year-old could not operate the CD player and was intrigued by the puppets on the cover. My wife then reported he was requesting it every day. Yes, every day. If only she had been doing appearances in Queens, he would have been in for a shock one morning.

I have a feeling he would have had similar feelings for Michal "Peanut" Karmi's second CD, CUDDLEBUG PARADE, a ukelele-charged burst of caffeinated energy. With her earnest, not cloying sincerity, Peanut delivers easily (and organically sustainable) messages on "How Are You Feeling," "Six Little Pickles," and "Chew and Swallow," the last sung in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Then again, there's something to be said when that early development period begins to wane, and your child's tastes become a little more sophisticated. In that way, I don't envy Peanut and her never-ending quest to renew her audiences and stay relevant. It's a noble pursuit and anyone down there in the trenches deserves support and encouragement.

CUDDLEBUG PARADE is available through Peanut's website, Amazon, CDBABY, iTunes, and Bandcamp.

Speaking of older kids' tastes, the Bazillions have released a video from their brand, spanking new CD, ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. It's an old-fashioned, singalong educational song in the style of "Schoolhouse Rock." Give it a try, it's "Q and U":