Our Newest Musical Favorite

For Christmas, Meredith got the Ziggy Marley "Family Time" CD. It is awesome. I've written on here before about music that the boys like, and it's no coincidence that it is stuff that Kevin and I like, as well. They have plenty of time in their day when they hear nursery rhymes and other "kid" songs. When we're in the van or in the kitchen we play music that the whole family can listen to and this CD definitely fits the bill.

Not only are the songs great, but Ziggy sings duets with many of our favorite singers! Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Jack Johnson and even Laurie Berkner! The music has the familiar reggae feel, but the lyrics of the songs are geared toward issues children deal with as well and family experiences. For instance, the song "Cry, Cry, Cry" sounds, at first, like a "Redemption Song." As serious-sounding as it is, it somewhat mocks the struggle of a child who isn't understood by his or her parents. One of the lines is Set the Children Free! when they are put in their room under duress. Make me laugh every time I hear it. Because that is my life. Every night.

All the kids--Meredith included!--bop along with the beat and sing the words. No kidding--Charlie, even! It's one of those CDs that you can listen to all the way through and while making its listeners happy, it's also a soothing disc, which is often needed for long car rides.

The CD ends with two stories read by Jamie Lee Curtis. The first one was written by Ziggy called "Helping Hands," the second one is a children's book written by Jamie Lee called "The Human Race." Although they are both good stories, sometimes I wish there was a way to put the songs on repeat, skipping the stories unless we're wanting to listen to them. The CD is enhanced, in that if you put it into your computer and there are activities for the kids to do.

Overall, a great call by Santa! The CD case was sitting out last week when Uncle Billy stopped by and saw it sitting there. He let us know that "Family Time" recently won a Grammy. No surprise to our family!