Customer Reviews

Ralph's World

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I could have rated this CD higher than 5 stars, I would have! We received it as a gift before traveling 850 miles with our 4 children ages 2, 3, 4 & 5 and I was prepared to play it once and put it away with the other music we have. To say the least, I was thrilled to finally enjoy listening to my children's music again! We must have played it the entire ride home, with my children (and us parents, too!) preferring it to watching a movie on the car TV! The music is sopisticated enough (and familiar, I should add) for us aging parents, and brings a welcome new sound to children's music. It has become a favorite of ours and I will continue to pass it along to friends with children for any occassion I can find. Every parent with children MUST have a copy of Ralph Covert's latest masterpiece. I will be forever grateful to the mom that gave us our copy!

We have this CD and another by Ralph, 'At the Bottom of the Sea.' I heard it for the first time at a play-group, and loved it. Most of the kids there were older than my 1 year old, and ALL of the kids were having a blast and engaged in the music.

The tunes are catchy and very parent friendly. The music is not over produced or over sweet. Some kids sing along, but for the most part the vocals are all Ralph. The kids add to the CD - they don't take over. So far, my toddler and all of the ones that I've given the CD to for 1st and 2nd birthday gifts love it. Their parents have bought other CD's of Ralph's. They have thanked me profusely.

Some of the tunes are just begging you to get up off your rump and move, others you can't help singing along with. They get stuck in my head, but they all beat the purple dinosaur's greatest hit any day.

'Bedtime Girl' will put a lump in your throat - whether you are a daddy or a mommy with a boy or a girl, but it is the best 'daddy's girl' song I've heard.

'Take a Little Nap' is a hoot - A kid oriented remake of 'Shake Your Booty!' I about died laughing the first time my daughter started dancing and singing 'shake your booty' over and over. She has no idea what a booty is. You can hear the kids singing on the CD just LOVING it that they get to say 'booty.' She never does take the hint to 'Take a Little Nap,' but it is a fun song.

I could go on and on - but, the result would be this: There isn't a bad song on the CD - get it.

I've already written reviews on Ralph's other two CDs, which are incredible musical worlds for children and adults. This CD is no different. How does one pick a highlight from this CD? Impossible, but certainly favorites include the pure pop magic of "All My Colors," "Drivin' In My Car" (a great rave up as well as a send up of Woodie Guthrie's "Riding In My Car (Car Song)"--swish swish swish swish), and a fantastic cover of Roger Miller's "You Can't Rollerskate In a Buffalo Herd," which brings back childhood memories of my own.

Ralph works in sections of the songs where the listener can participate (if they aren't already) with their own lyrics (such as "The Name Song"). The chorus of kids vocals, which include Ralph's daughter, add to the glee of singing these songs and help make a youngster comfortable joining in.

A welcoming debut for everyone from a master musician songwriter.

As a musician and mom, I give "Ralph's World" highest praise!!

We just spent 5 weeks and 5,500 miles on the road with a 2 1/2 year old and an 8 month old. We must have listened to Ralph's World a bazillion times and we didn't go crazy (although I was hearing "Freddy Bear" in my sleep)! It was a difficult trip and I shudder to think what we'd have done without this recording. It really kept the kids happy every time. They love it!

Ralph's enthusiasm is genuine, as is the top notch musicianship on this project -- unlike so much of the computer generated drivel found on the shelf these days. Instead of a perfectly rehearsed choir singing songs that all end up sounding the same, this CD contains variety of songs styles and REAL kids having REAL fun which make it quite enjoyable. Ralph incorporated all of the elements that would be used in conducting a successful kid's music class. He obviously knows what he's doing! Even the youngest ones can latch onto "Riding in My Car" or "ABC" from the first listening, yet there's so much more to "go on" that bigger kids and adults won't tire of it easily. Bless you Ralph! This should go down as a kid's classic.

I am a native Chicagoan and I am quite familiar with Ralph Covert's work with both The Bad Examples and his solo efforts as well. He is a master pop songwriter and has not achieved his well deserved national recognition. This may finally change but in a most unexpected way...as a children's music writer. When I heard that Covert was putting out a children's CD I figured he must be reaching to pay the bills. Then I heard some of the music which is featured on "Ralph's World" and I was instantly drawn to it. This CD is a terrific work that kids will enjoy and at the same time, will not drive adults crazy! Hearing Kenny Logins sing Winnie the Pooh songs makes me want to vommit. I won't even let my kid listen to that type of material. I also don't want to hear Barney or the Rugrats either! But Ralph's World is actually catchy and enticing. Covert should play these tunes during his club sets at Chicago watering holes. If you are a lame mom or dad, don't get this CD. If you want to be a cool parent, get it, play it, and enjoy it. You will.

This is an excellent CD for children and adults. My 7 year old(Joe) loves this cd. He brought it into his class and it they play it constantly. I have to admit, I was humming Freddy Bear the Teddy Bear for several days. The songs on Ralph's World are entertaining for children. I think this CD is adult friendly because the songs are intelligent and do not get tiresome after multiple plays. Great "car" cd. Favorites are "Take A Little Nap (It's a Disco Song!), and the Four Little Duckies(Counting in different languages). Buy this Disk, It will not disappoint.

My kids are 2 and 7, and this record appeals to both. The 7 year-old knows all the words after just a few listens, and the younger child acts like she knows the words while she dances around in little circles. And for us parents, it's a relief to hear well-recorded music, played by talented musicians, and sung by a guy with a high regard for children. After spinning this, we have surreptitiously hidden away any and all of the dreadful children's CDs previously found in our home.

I am generally not a fan of many kids' music CDs I have heard. Either the production is cheezy (Baby Einstein series) or the music tries to be too hip and completely misses (Golden Book series). I yearned for kids music that would a) speak to kids and b) not make me want to gag every time I turned it on in the car. Ralph Covert has music that is catchy and a lot of fun ("Drivin' In My Car" is a BIG hit with my 22-month-old who lisps out "Car Song" as soon as his rear end hits the car seat), which pleases the kids, and yet is written in a way that is gratifying for me (a prof'l musician), too. It's a nice mix of "old faves" and originals. I especially love the "Four Little Duckies" with its groovy Bo Diddly rhythm (and multilingual counting!). The instrumentation is good folk/pop with...get this...REAL INSTRUMENTS, not sampled computer crap. Guitars! Dobros! Mandolins! Duck Calls! Duck Calls? The instrumentation is at times silly and fun without ever being condescending to the kids or losing the musicality of the piece. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. And I DARE you to stop singing the first track...it'll get into your brain like, as they call it in Germany, an "ear worm."

My four month old baby and I enjoy singing and dancing to Ralph's World. The music and lyrics make it easy to interact with her and have fun. I get 'melt your heart' smiles and laughs even as I multi-task (important for all moms)during our playtime by folding laundry or cooking. Perhaps our singing together will teach her to have fun while helping with chores as she gets older! Although my singing voice leaves a lot to be desired, all of the songs on Ralph's World are easy to sing and so much fun that it helped me overcome my reluctance to sing. Babies DO love to hear their parents sing. Whenever we are out and she gets cranky, I just sing "...and my right cheek is where my mommy kisses me..." while smothering her with kisses. It usually works. My husband even enjoyed the songs enough to turn up the music after he walked in on our 'playtime'. I'm waiting for him to chime in next time. It's clear that Ralph has a child of his own and understands what works to make the songs interesting and fun for kids. I am so impressed that I'm buying more copies for all my nieces and nephews. It's great road trip music as well. I agree with a previous reviewer: the lyrics will stick in your head and you will be singing them for days afterwards.

When I first learned that Ralph Covert, frontman for the Chicago based BAD EXAMPLES, and author of such tunes as "Rubber Cement Man", "Not Dead Yet", and "Bad Girl" was putting out a children's CD, I was taken aback. But on his latest project, "Ralph's World", Covert pulls it off and quite well at that. This CD is full of uptempo tunes that children will love and adults can enjoy. Usually, children's music makes grown ups cringe (ie. Kenny Loggins and Barney). However, this CD makes adults want to turn it up as well. My infant son loves "Freddy Bear the Teddy Bear" and I personally love the ballad "Bedtime Girl". Because I respect and admire Covert's songwriting (for adult pop/rock), I hope he does not plan to devote his efforts to children's music on a full time basis. But if he does I know it will be because he's got the talent and the music is great. Check out "Ralph's World" and you'll find a bond in music for children and adults.