'Let It Out' by Mike Schmid
Mike Schmid
$12.97, www.mikeschmid.com
On his new album, Mike Schmid wanders the blurry lines between family, tween and adult music. Listen to the sublime set of songs on Let It Out, and you can image hearing them on Top 40 radio, a Disney TV show or in a preschool classroom. His velvety pop-rock offers plenty of hooky melodies and gentle lyrics about life, friendship and individuality that provides easy-going messages to listeners of all ages.
One of the disc’s strength’s is the richness of Schmid’s arrangements. There are nice little touches like the synth riff in “Shake It.” The disc’s full-bodied sound is made more impressive by the fact that Schmid played most of the instruments. He also creates smart variations of typical kids-tune topics like colors (with the moving piano ballad “Can You See All The Colors?”) and animals (the jubilantly goofy dance number “Let’s Have A Party”).
Michael also recommends …
• Disney Princesses: Fairy Tale Songs, Various Artists, $10.41 Walt Disney Records: An enchanting collection of Disney movie tunes for your little princess.
• Dreamland Lullaballads, Dina Layzis, $9.99, www.dinalayzis.com: Soothing songs to help little ones slumber.
• Rockabye Baby! Good Day, Goodnight, Various Artists, $22.49, www.rockabyebabymusic.com: This two-CD “best of” set celebrates the label’s 5th anniversary.