Dance and Sing with The Laurie Berkner Band Superhero
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I am so glad that my boys love a variety of music. I can put on tunes from my youth and they rarely complain. And, we love to find newer artists that are family friendly.
One artist we’ve enjoyed in the past is Laurie Berkner. When I heard she had a new album available to review, I quickly expressed interest.
About The Laurie Berkner Band Superhero
Jam-packed with 21 freshly composed Laurie Berkner originals plus two “bonus” tracks, Superhero is the album Laurie‘s fans have been waiting for. With music ranging from quiet, a capella finger plays to get-up-and-dance full band anthems, this is Laurie Berkner at her absolute best.
Says Laurie Berkner, “I wrote Superhero thinking about many things that I found fun as a kid, and I’m so thrilled to have such wonderful guests to share that fun, including superstar crown prince of reggae, Ziggy Marley, super musical yogini Kira Willey, and our own super bassman, Brady Rymer, who gets a special slot up front in addition to his regular vocal and instrumental contributions as a member of The Laurie Berkner Band.
Superhero includes a variety of musical styles, including ’60s pop, rootsy rock, lullabies, reggae, Latin, and more. As fans have come to expect, all of Laurie Berkner‘s songs on Superhero speak to kids without talking down to them, through imaginative lyrics that both enchant and empower.
Laurie explains, “To me, Superhero is about self-empowerment — being our best selves and discovering the superhero in all of us.”
Brimming with contemporary edge and energy, Superhero leaps into action with a single bound, taking flight with the title track’s splendid horn line and Laurie Berkner‘s exuberant vocals. “Superhero” has all the earmarks of a Laurie Berkner blockbuster: a powerhouse vocal showpiece that offers plenty of contrast, uncluttered instrumental and vocal textures, tremendous dance energy, and an empowering, joyful message for kids and grownups alike.
Selected highlights include the Caribbean-flavored “My My Marisol,” featuring 5-time Grammy® winner Ziggy Marley. Laurie‘s daughter, Lucy Mueller, charms listeners by singing with her mom on “Elephant In There,” a story-song that offers a cure for imaginary internal elephants. Superhero comes to an emphatically empowering close with the ultimate superhero message in the shape of an eternally positive “Yes!”
About The Laurie Berkner Band
Laurie Berkner was a former preschool teacher by day and indie rocker by night. Then, more than fifteen years ago, she started marketing her music from her living room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records.
Now, she is widely recognized as a pioneer in the “kindie” music genre and was crowned “the undisputed queen of kindie rock” by USA Today. The Wall Street Journal noted, “Her music is distinctive because it speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups.”
Listen to The Laurie Berkner Band Superhero
Our Thoughts on The Laurie Berkner Band Superhero
If you like your albums to sound uniform, then this one might not appeal to you. Instead of one style, the music on this CD is eclectic. And that is something I definitely like. After all, variety is the spice of life!
As a parent, I appreciate that the songs not only avoid talking ‘down’ to the kids, but can be enjoyed by the adults. Sadly, some of the ‘kindie music’ has parents ready to flee the room when it starts up.
Some songs were enjoyed more than others. However, the album as a whole was a hit with my youngest son. And, it had me realizing that his obsession with a particular all-male group from Australia in his early days meant missing classics from Laurie Berkner. My older boys listened to her earlier albums numerous times while we were driving in the car.
Bring on We Are The Dinosaurs and let’s get moving around the room! Which reminds me…I have a few dinosaur lovin’ nephews who might need an introduction to that classic.
Are you familiar with The Laurie Berkner Band?
What types of songs have you and the kids enjoyed most?
