Sunny Side of the Street

John Lithgow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 29, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B000GH3PWW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,375 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The world hardly needed more evidence, but The Sunny Side of the Street proves unequivocally that there's nothing John Lithgow puts his name on that doesn't secrete charm by the bucketful. This particular CD, his third for kids, is fairly well drenched in it. The spirit of the disc is captured handily by the cover art, which pictures Lithgow as a bumbershoot-toting dandy skipping along Broadway amid an animated coterie; a few songs in, you can practically hear him soft-shoeing it in front of a sweet-sounding kids' chorus on the gently encouraging "Pick Yourself Up." Guest stars abound--the vocal marvel Madeleine Peyroux on the title track, cabaret star Maude Maggart on the lively "Baby!," and Seinfeld's Wayne Knight on "Inka Dinka Doo"--but as on previous discs, Lithgow shines brightest when the spotlight is aimed squarely and exclusively on him. "I Always Say Hello to a Flower" allows him to cut up to such bent-minded lyrics as "I always say bonjour to a lilac/Bonjour bonjour bonjour/But I'm absolutely mute with a bully in a suit/And I never talk to fruit, heaven knows," while "The Laughing Policeman" features him guffawing unstoppably--not to mention contagiously--for a good two minutes. "Be Human," on which the sage advice to "have a tender word for every animal and bird" is doled out repeatedly before a kicky Dixieland band, benefits from a particularly astute ending: "A toucan can't be human," Lithgow speak-sings with characteristic clear-eyed bonhomie before letting out a squawk, "but you can!" Few screwballs make such sweet-sounding sense. --Tammy La Gorce

From the Artist

Why do adults like it so much too?

Specifically, why do these tunes linger? Why do images of Lithgow dancing and pratfalling, mugging and preening, play in our minds when we hear this music? Even the sound of the band, an intimate little group that can swing or get sentimental on command, invites itself into our day, no matter what serious, grownup things we’ve got scheduled.

"The secret is that these songs were actually written to entertain adults," the distinguished actor, multiple Emmy, Tony and Golden Globe Award winner, former Fulbright scholar, multiple Oscar nominee, star of the upcoming NBC sitcom Twenty Good Years, and banjo-playing entertainer explains.

"They came from the good old days of Tin Pan Alley," he continues, "from vaudeville or from musicals of the twenties and thirties. They have a wonderful lightheartedness because people in those days didn’t mind being silly. In fact, for a lot of singers and writers, that was their stock in trade. People listened for jokes and rhymes and wit in ways that seldom do now. So I thought, well, this is exactly the kind of music I’d love to introduce to kids today."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Kids Music, September 13, 2006

By 

Nicole Miller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunny Side of the Street (Audio CD)

I bought the new John Lithgow album for my little cousins and they love it! They dance around the house to the music and can't stop singing the catchy songs. Lithgow uses classic songs that I have even heard before, which makes it nice to babysit and listen to good kids music. Your kids will love this CD!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great oldy, but goodies for the kids to sing along to., January 11, 2007

By 

Loey B. "Louis" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sunny Side of the Street (Audio CD)

Great songs for kids to relax and have fun with.
Thanks for bringing some of these old songs to life
John Lithgow for the next generation to appreciate.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More good tunes from John Lithgow, September 27, 2007

By 

CT Mom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sunny Side of the Street (Audio CD)

I think Singin' in the Bathtub is still my favorite, but this is a close second. Lots of good tunes the whole family can appreciate.