Everyone's A Critic: Rock Daddy Rock by Chris Bihuniak

Recently, I received an e-mail from Chris Bihuniak asking me to listen to his new CD for kids, Rock Daddy Rock, and to review it.  Excited to have a new blog reader, I quickly agreed.

Then I looked at his promotional material more carefully.  Chris describes his CD as "comedy-rock songs about the silly, gross and wonderful behaviors of kids."  Gross behavior?  What did I agree to?

The CD arrived a couple days later.  I looked at the song list before popping the CD in the player.  Track 1: Boogers; Track 3: Wart; Track 9: Don't Pass The Gas.  Ew!  

Now, I'm not totally anti-potty words in music for kids.  One of my favorite songs is The Poopsmith Song, by Over the Rhine.  But about 30 second into "Boogers" I started wondering whether I should send the CD back to Chris.  Around that time, Mr. S. walked in the room, exclaimed, "What are you listening to?" and walked out.

I kept listening.  Some of the songs, like the Beastie Boys-esque "Don't Hit, Don't Spit," really rock.  "When You Grow Up" and "Biter" made me want to dance and reminded me of Little S favorite The Sippy Cups.   Songs like "Gun (Peace Sign)" and "Turn It Off" provided good messages without preaching.  (I especially enjoyed hearing Bihuniak's kids sing,  "I'll clean my room and do it with no pay and do my very best to keep it clean that way" in "Your Room's A Mess.") 

I was about to write the CD off as a decent effort, highly unlikely to appeal to moms, when Little S walked into the room.  She stared the CD over and listened carefully.  Then, she put on her ballet shoes and tutu, replayed the CD, and danced for the entire CD.  "It really makes me want to move, Mom," she said.  "We should listen to it every morning to get us going."  She played it five times in a row.

Two days later, she hasn't stopped listening to Rock Daddy Rock.  Part of the appeal is listening to songs like "Don't Pass the Gas" without getting into trouble for using potty words.  But the real delight comes from Bihuniak's hard rocking and danceable music.

I can only hope that Little S's teacher won't call asking why she's suddenly talking about boogers, warts and gas.

You can find samples of Rock Daddy Rock songs here.