Customer Reviews

Let's Play

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

"Mama, do you know why I like Raffi songs? Because you get to make believe." My five-year-old's spontaneous response to "Let's Play" speaks volumes. Children are not merely entertained by music: they ought to be fully engaged by it. Raffi and collaborators do not underestimate the intelligence, musical sensibilities, and imaginative capacities of their young audience. "Let's Play" is a joyful and soulful celebration of life in all its forms. The music on this album sparkles. The instrumentation is both textured and clear: individual instruments (...and noises.... and animal calls...and sound effects...) are readily identifiable. The music is not over-orchestrated; children seem to like this translucence (I do too). The lyrics are bright, straightforward, sometimes profound in their simplicity and sometimes just plain fun. The Raffi and Raffi/Michael Creber originals are favorites in my household so far -- Jane Jane, Arbutus Baby, Roots and Shoots, Raining like Magic, and Blessed Be have been frequent requests. Parents needn't fear losing brain cells nor going nuts from repeated second-hand listening. This music is far more than tolerable from an adult perspective: It is good. "Lets Play" is fun, ardent, exuberant, and bursting with life. The album lives up to its title: It respects and celebrates children's natural way of engaging with music and with the rest of life -- through Play.

My kids fell in love with this upbeat collection of songs. We are real Raffi fans, and this latest CD has quickly become a favorite. Even my 2 year old can't get enough of the catchy tunes. Mom's favorite is "Yellow Submarine". The best thing about Raffi is that it's kids' music that anyone can enjoy. The songs are meaningful yet fun. Thanks, Raffi!

This is the first time I can sit through the music my kids want to hear. All the songs are enjoyable. Everyone can sing along, from the 2 year old to the parents, and even grandparents.

I have been a fan of Raffi since my daughter was three months old. She is now two and a huge fan herself. This album is a great addition to your Raffi collection. The songs are upbeat in typical Raffi fashion. The first time I played it, my daughter was dancing all over the living room! You won't be sorry you purchased this album!

This is a wonderful CD; a real gift from the heart for parents and children. I give this CD the highest possible recommendation!

Our family is a big fan of Raffi's music. I bought "Let's Play" the day it came out and have listened to it off and on for several months now. At first I thought it was different than Raffi's other music and only gave the CD four stars. But after having listened to it for months, our family rates this CD a absolute masterpiece CD for children. The mark of a great album is that is gets better with time. Some of the songs are just wonderful. "Let's Play" is a fun and playful, yet beautiful, album from the heart for children and parents.

"Let's Play" starts happy and playful with two good children's songs written by Raffi: "Let's Play" and "Swing." Our daughter, age four, said she liked the CD as soon as she heard the first song. The next two songs are oldies with Raffi's special touch: An upbeat "Yellow Submarine" and a playful "Eensy Weensy Spider," which has an extra Raffi-written verse (a very special touch.) Our daughters marched around giggling to "Yellow Submarine."

The rest of the disc includes some wonderful Raffi-written songs. This is a very special CD. The words are a real expression of Raffi. His later music, like this CD, reflect his growing concern for children of the world and the environment.

"Jane Jane" is a great song about the great chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall. My second-grader thinks it's the greatest. "Jiggledy Jill," which I hardly noticed at first, now strikes me as a great song.

"Blessed Be" is one of the best songs I have ever heard for parents. It's a sincere song from the heart about the feelings for your new baby. It ranks with Raffi songs "Baby Beluga" and "Like Me and You" as one of the greatest songs ever written. This is great music to expose your children to.

I think "Let's Play" is especially good for preschool and early elementary school aged children (four to nine), while some of Raffi's earlier CD's are better for younger children ages (one to five).

I highly recommend almost all Raffi's CD's and videos for children and families. All are great with a peanut butter sandwich!

RECOMMENDATION: 1) If this is your very first Raffi purchase, buy a different Raffi CD first. 2) If you already own Raffi CD's (as every parent should), buy this CD!

This is the first Raffi cd I've gotten for my 17 month old daughter and she absolutely loves it! If I play it in the car, her carseat can barely contain her, she gets so excited. I love it too because it's not at all annoying (like some children's music can be). I actually find myself listening to it even if she's not in the car. My daughter's favorite is the title track "Let's Play". I think I like "May There Always Be Sunshine" the most. It was a poem written by a Russian child in the 1950's, with a timeless, universal message:

May there always be sunshine
May there always be blue skies
May there always be mama
May there always be me

Raffi put it to music and translated it into several languages, and it makes an exceptional lullaby.

I have difficulty believing the negative responses this CD has gotten here. It seems that you either love it or you don't, which I suspect is the way with most things. -- Having said that, and having heard nearly all the other (equally excellent) Raffi recordings, I think this recording is fabulous. If it could possibly offend you that a man who has dedicated his life's work to respecting childhood and providing wholesome entertainment for children would then honor and support other likeminded individuals and want to share the broader world with his child audience, then just maybe you are provincial enough to believe that all young children can righfully aspire to is being silly and ignorant of the world around them. To his credit, Raffi does not pigeon hole his listeners in this way. The musical stylings contained in this recording are sophisticated and subtle, playful and sublime, classic and cutting edge. Every last one is delightful to listen to. My three year old son has an extensive music collection consisting of many genres (including many other Raffi recordings) and this CD above all others is what he requests to listen to every single day. He loves it so much that he spontaneously asked for a tape recorder for his birthday so that he could send a copy to one of his out of state friends. He suggested it as the holiday gift of choice for his nursery school teachers this year. If that isn't a strong endorsement straight from a kid, I don't know what is.

I love this album. It is actually my first Raffi CD and I am impressed. The lyrics are good and the beats are very catchy. My one-year old loves it and dances to all of the songs. As for the prior reviewer that had problems with Raffi's addition to "If you're happy and you know it" song... I think it is wonderful. I think it is cute when a child knows that they are beautiful... and I see nothing wrong with this continuing into the teenage years and then into adulthood. A positive self image does not mean egotistical... and many children, adolescents and adults could use a higher self-esteem. I was also touched by the "Jane Jane" song. Jane Goodall has been a hero to me since I was a child and I appreciate that my son will also know about her. I think the message in all of the songs is very positive... not preachy... and I am not a liberal person by nature. In short, I highly recommend this album.

We bought this after reading a Parents Choice review giving it a Gold Award. After owning this CD for a year it is my daughter's favorite CD, and she owns many great children's music CD's. At first she did not like it as much, but now it is her top choice. I like to give her choices, and when I ask her which CD she wants to listen to she asks for this one. She loves other Raffi CD's, too.

"Blessed Be" is the most beautiful, gentle children's song ever. I just love snuggling her to that song.

Raffi's videos are the best (search for "Raffi video"), so I recommend them first. But Parent's Choice gives this CD a good review as follows:

"Review: It's been 23 years since Raffi, the only megastar that children's music has produced, captured the hearts of parents and children alike with his gentle signature song, "Baby Beluga" and "Shake Your Sillies Out." The years since those early preschool favorites have included a bumpy detour into adult music, much personal and professional soul-searching, and what has become a life of international activism for a healthy environment and the well-being of children. This first new album in seven years reflects those life changes and Raffi's return to his roots, too. The varied celebratory offerings here include interpretations of "What A Wonderful World," If You're Happy and You Know It" and "Yellow Submarine," but most tracks are light-hearted originals. They include a dreamy "Swing" ("Like the moon up in the heavens, like the balsam growing tall, like the tides that move the oceans...") and "Eensy Weensy Spider" with a delightful new second verse. "Arbutus Baby," is a tender ode to trees that grow on Canada's "rocky, rainy shores," with evocative accompaniment by renowned fiddler Natalie MacMaster; a Tibetan children's song, "Tsetang Gangla (On the Playground)," reaches out to listeners with irresistible simplicity, and any parent who has held a newborn will recognize the loving, protective embrace in "Blessed Be." Raffi certainly hasn't dropped his message songs-he even includes Dr. Jane Goodall and her ground-breaking chimpanzee studies in his tuneful tributes-but he's developed a delicate touch with them. Best of all, while there are deftly added layers of meaning for adults in the songs, this is vintage Raffi, too, a return to the sunny, sweet spirit of his first stellar success.

"Lynne Heffley ©2002 Parents' Choice"

Raffi is a pleasure for the young and old. This CD is wonderful family fun for my toddler and 9 month old. The songs are inspiring and teach positive values. There is fun and humor in all the songs. An absolute must!