Customer Reviews

Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let's be honest, most of the stuff out there for kids (I won't mention any of them by name) is just the most god awful annoying mind numbing slop imaginable.
FINALLY, Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang have come out with a record full of educational songs that kids absolutely adore, and as a HUGE bonus the songs are musically smart and interesting so that us poor parents can really enjoy it right along with our kids. I loved Free to be You and Me when I was a kid, and this record by the Good Time Gang is as good, as educational and as amazing - or more so. I know that this record will be as memorable for my kids as that one was has been for me. Brilliant!

Without being too repetitive, I must say that this album has got my entire family singing. We can't help ourselves sometimes. Every song is fun and catchy. The album is filled with wonderful messages that are meaningful rather than corny. We love seeing them perform. They are the real deal. They should be OWNING children's television!

Gwendolyn and the Gang's first CD is number one on the charts in our house. Imaginative, catchy, not patronizing in any way, these terrific songs put the band right at the forefront of the modern rock and roll kid's music movement, the female counterpart of Dan Zanes, or They Might Be Giants. And check out the live show if you're lucky enough to have Gwendolyn nearby, it's a constant barrel of laughs, dancing and fun that appeals to the parents as much as the kids.

We bought this CD after catching Gwendolyn & the GTG in a live performance. My 3-1/2-year-old and 14-month-old daughters were both dancing joyfully to the music even though they had never heard the songs before. This CD is now a staple on our car rides and every time "Farm Animal Friends" starts up, they get just as excited as the first time. I must admit that adults find it addicting as well...my sister-in-law couldn't stop singing "Selfish Shellfish" for days after hearing it. Enjoy.

My son and I saw Gwendolyn perform here in LA, then got her CD over Amazon.com. He loved the show and listens to the CD everyday. The words are great and she's got a real band that plays adult-quality music. You won't be embarrassed humming the tunes around during the day (we all do it). A must have for people who want to listen along with their kids and can't stand Wiggles or Barney.

We were introduced to Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang at a Saturday concert. It was the first time we had heard the music and my four year old daughter was already singing the songs, before the song ended. I snapped up the cd right away. Now, nothing else plays in the car. My four year old and three year old know all the words, they even know what song comes next. We love this cd and cannot wait for the next one!!

My daughter (and my husband and I) has been a fan of this CD for almost a year now. Emily was just 5 months old when I bought our first copy after seeing them perform at Storyopolis and it is the ONLY CD that I can play on our many trips from LA to Santa Barbara where she'll sit through and listen the entire time! Not a peep out of her. I have given it to many a friend with a toddler who hates car rides and I just can't recommend this CD enough. The plus here too is that it's fun for adults as well. We all know how singing songs over and over for our children can be a bit boring and tedious - not so with the songs from this CD. My daughter is now almost 1 1/2 yrs old and loves it now even more that she can sing along too!
PS - try to see them perform if you can - they really give a good show.

I came across this group pretty much by chance, and was surprised how much I enjoyed them. From the fun barnyard stylings of "Farm Animal Friends" to the inspring "You Can Be Anything" and the a capaella stylings of "Come Join Hands," the songs on this album hit far more than they miss. The unique, "I Don't Think I Like It," with an oompha-cabaret feel, is probably my favorite, and a nice tune to play in rush hour traffic (this CD was once my prefered coping mechanism for a stressful commute). The CD does feature quite a few different personas, and Gwendolyn's imitation of children could be considered a bit annoying by some, but for the most part, I think she does a good job ("You Can Be Anything" is probably the best example of her talents in this area). I'm just reviewing for myself, an adult, but the album is aimed at kids, who will probably get the most out of it. But I did see them perform for an adult audience that seemed appreciative. Here's hoping for another album, maybe with some standards (i.e. "Itsy Bitsy Spider") along with new material.

This is the first made-for-kids music I let my daughter listen too. Until we discoverd the GTG prior to my wee one's 3rd B-Day, she had a steady diet of classical, & the rest of the classics (funk, soul, country, & rock). Along comes a band that my daughter and I both love, with musicianship and material solid enough to withstand three hundred and ninety thousand plays in the car! The songs are as good as the music my girl was "raised" on, with lyrics, lessons, and humor that feed her heart, mind, and soul. "Gwenowin" is a big deal in our house, if you buy one kid's record for your child, this is it! Ooodily ooodily ooodily ooodily fun fun fun!

Gwendolyn and her Goodtime Gang have put together a memorable collection of songs sure to dazzle children young and old. If Barney grates on the nerves despite his good intentions, Gwendolyn's crew will win you and your kids over with deeply melodic songwriting, excellent and enjoyably varied vocals, and a great sense of humor - and all while missing no chance to convey positive messages kids will love to receive. Many songs (Farm Animal Friends, Selfish Shellfish) remind me of Eric Carle books  they are imbued with that same joy and intelligence without sacrificing the wonder necessary to truly captivate kids. Its such a fun album that your kids wont even notice they are being inspired to be polite, generous, inventive and to learn their anatomy. While I've given this terrific album a well-deserved five stars, my children (4 and 2 years old), told me they think it deserves a hundred. I couldnt agree more.