Jack Forman Refuses to Phone It In

The original "jack of all trades" for children's music is back with his third solo album. Jack Forman – known from Recess Monkey and SiriusXM Kids Place fame – has dropped HOLD THE PHONE for kids and their supervising parental adults. Produced pre-COVID, the 12 songs travel from the amusement park to Harry Potter to family pets ("The Cat Walk" and "Dogs Always Wait").

Body shaming is a big deal these days and Jack does his part to de-stigmatize bodily functions. On OFCICE HOURS, it was "No Tooting On the Dance Floor." On HOLD THE PHONE, it's "I Had to Pee (On the Ferris Wheel)," the saga of an anxious lad conducting an epic battle with bladder control at the amusement park. His pet songs show the dichotomy of feline/canine ownership – "The Cat Walk" has a protagonist sitting on keys and faces and running the house. Meanwhile "Dogs Always Wait" extols the loyalty and selfless friendship of a faithful companion anticipating the return of its master from a day at school.

A child's big concern with food is amusingly covered in "I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing," formerly a famous slogan back in the day for Alka-Seltzer. Jack channels the concept through the focus of the bottomless pit of childhood feasting habits on treats. Jack also keeps his finger on the pulse of nerd culture, which runs strong through the preteen set. "Little Dobby Does It" is his earnest tribute to Harry Potter's steadfast house elf. The disco anthem "My Walkman" memorializes technology from a different era. It also gave me the opportunity to show the kids my walkman, unused for years, with batteries that were still working! "Surprise Party" recalls the planning and last-minute expectations going through the heads of people waiting for the birthday recipient to arrive:

We got balloons tacked back to the chairs
Grandma invited her friends from downstairs
Party hats 'cause we've got lots of spares
We're going to a surprise party

These are interesting times for the music business. Subscriptions for Spotify rocketed up due to consumers looking for more entertainment options. SiriusXM extended its offer of free service through May 31, so click through and hear Jack doing his daily show, as well as songs from many other artists. HOLD THE PHONE broadens Jack Forman's digital danceprint and thought ownership in kid culture.

HOLD THE PHONE is available from Jack Forman's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for Jack's song, "Yodeling Yoda":