| High-Energy Kids’ Karaoke Songs Fuel KidzBop 9 |
By: Heather Leitch, Columnist, “Kids and Entertainment”
On 2/4/06
You reach a point where your kids no longer want to listen to Raffi, and the Disney soundtracks are getting old. Most kids are ready for more complex music by grade school.
Rating:
3 of 5 ice cream cones! |
This can be a wonderful cultural opportunity. Introducing your kids to the music of the world is an exciting experience. Flamenco, classical, rock, R&B, there is so much good music out there.
One popular alternative is the KidzBop series. Kidz Bop takes music that has been on the top 40 charts for the past year and re-records it using its own KidzBop musicians. The result is a group of songs that sounds like those on the radio, with a group of kids singing (and shouting) along.
We discovered KidzBop music with KidzBop 6, and have kept up with KidzBop CDs for a few iterations now. We enjoyed the most recent, Kidz Bop 9, as much as the others. The latest version offers popular songs such as Beverly Hills, Just the Girl, Behind these Hazel Eyes, and the ever-frenetic The Frog Song. The songs are upbeat, catchy, and clean.
The content is much like the songs on Radio Disney. Original versions of the songs are heard on top 40 stations, but any profanity and overt sexual language is taken out. While the songs are not completely innocent--if you listen carefully, you can find suggestive allusions to boyfriends, girlfriends, and “feeling good”--but on the surface, at least, the lyrics are innocent.
As a parent, I appreciate that KidzBop has taken an initial stab at cleaning up the songs for me. I want some control over when and where my children learn about sex, fidelity, and drugs. At the same time, I understand their craving for popular music. When other kids at school talk about their favorite songs, my kids want to participate in the discussion.
As with other KidzBop CDs, the distracting thing about KidzBop 9 is the same thing that makes it fun. The musicians sound like regular kids singing along with the music. This encourages you and your kids to sing along as well, which is enjoyable. But I sometimes miss hearing the recording artists singing by themselves. The other issue is the production quality. When you hear the original versions, the sound is more complex, and the vocals are absolutely clearer and more professional.
For me, these are minor quibbles. I recommend KidzBop 9. I listen in the car and it makes all the driving you do as a parent go by more quickly. Put it on at home and dance away your cabin fever with the kids (and get some sneaky exercise in along the way). Save the weighty discussions about what the phrase “I’m feeling sexy/I want to hear you say my name” means for another year.
Rating:
3 of 5 ice cream cones! |
Worth the price: Yes. At $18.98, the price is comparable to other music CDs.
Profanity: None.
Sexual Content: No overt sexual language.
Violence: No violent language.
I give it 3 out of 5 ice cream cones!
|
|
|
|
