No Place Like Space for Justin Roberts

Justin Roberts lives in my happy place. Which is to say, an undisclosed location where childhood is venerated ("Gimme A Fire Truck"); family fun is celebrated ("Dance Party"); and there's boundless affection ("Whole Lotta Love In This World").

SPACE CADET, Roberts' latest (and 16th) full-length collection of original children's music, features the full "Not Ready for Naptime Players" – Liam Davis, Gerard Dowd, Jacqueline Schimmel, and David Winer. The disc follows WILD LIFE, a smaller, more intimate Grammy-nominated CD that heralded his early experiences with fatherhood.

Over the course of a 25-year recording career inside the children's music genre, Roberts has chosen the high road of producing material that builds self-esteem and connects with a younger audience through catchy hooks and relatable themes. For instance, the protagonist on "Little Red Wagon" completes his daily rounds through the neighborhood accompanied by his trusty toy – which is clearly more than a simple plaything to him.

Roberts (and his family) trudged through the pandemic doing occasional homebound concerts to reach listeners. The span held incredible highs (time with his son) and lows (the death of his father; a sadness I also suffered through). SPACE CADET gently weaves through some sensitive topics, such as special needs ("Truman Was A Tornado"), self-discovery ("I Have Been A Unicorn"), and ADHD (the title track). Kids love trains, so Roberts uses that affection as a metaphor for inclusion on "Everybody Get On Board":

Sometimes you’re perfect
Other times you ain’t
But we all got a beating heart
Every day is like a brand new start
To try and play an open chord
So everyone can get on board

The secret to Justin Roberts' music is how he pivots a song from what you think it's about to where he really wants to go. "I'm Not Just An I" starts with "igloo" and "icicle" but builds to an unexpected finish with "My i disappears when I'm with you, all your love is me and i am you," which is when you see he's dedicated the tune to his wife, Anna. When you come right down to it, Roberts is no space cadet – he's leading the whole brigade.

SPACE CADET is available from Justin Roberts' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video from his song, "Everybody Get On Board":