Customer Reviews

Wonderstuff

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A two-CD collection of superbly performed and flawlessly recorded musical story of Everett the Wonderbee, his friend Harold the Rat, and their struggle to save their home from a mysterious evil force called The Gray and its concrete and steel cronies, "Wonderstuff" is comprised of tracks that range across a wide variety of musical styles and present pure, 'kid friendly' entertainment for children of all ages. Disc 1 features: The Wonderbees, Busy Bees, My Pet Rock, Don't Want to Go to Bed, Magical Meadows, Bad Ideas, The Rat, The Sun Will Shine for You, Backpack, and Best Friend. Disc 1 features: The Pool, Come Out of Your Shell, The Funniest Thing, The Gray, Down Down Down, The Golden Seed, Roudn and Round, My Friend Shadow, Helping Hands, The Wonderbees (Reprise). "Wonderstuff" is enthusiastically recommended for family, school, and community library collections.

This is the second Recess Monkey CD I've listened to that I loved. Most kids music is tripe. But this is intelligent and enjoyable, even for grownups. The story makes the album much more kid-focused than "Aminal House," but the songs and goofiness make it hard to dislike. A concept album for kids. How great is that?

*Addition 2/26/08: Now this may sound strange, but this album improves with every listen! I've never said this about a children's album in my life. Most kids music grates on the nerves after a listen or two. This album, like many of my other 'grownup' favorites, grows on you. New details emerge in the story, new musical textures float to the surface, the songs become part of the psyche, and the overall whole becomes more completely understood. Classic albums like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and David Bowie's middle period albums such as "Low" also fall into this category for me. The first listen: not bad. After listen 5 or 6: wow!

Our 28-month-old daughter is in love with Recess Monkey. We have all three of their albums and listen to them several times a day. Our daughter's current favorites off Wonderstuff are "My Pet Rock" and "Backpack", though there are numerous other great songs on this album. The lyrics are simple enough for our daughter to follow along--and she loves to dance to the songs and belt out her favorite verses. The music is easy on parents' ears, too (I appreciate the Beatles' influence), which is a big bonus if you're going to listen to "My Pet Rock" a dozen times in a row. We found the narratives rather distracting, so we didn't upload them to our iPod. The songs on this album are fabulous, and we can't wait for the next album!

I heard Recess Monkey on NPR so I bought their cd through Amazon. I was not disappointed. Their music is top-notch...playful, clever and full of musical complexity. The true test? My husband and I put it on when our kids aren't around. I'm definitely going to check out their two other albums.

When Recess Monkey was listed as the entertainment for an event we were going to, I checked them out online. I admit, I was only moderately impressed. I thought, yeah, okay, but isn't it kind of weird that what-seem-to-be-overly-enthusiastic-but-full-grown-scenesters are making kids music?

I went to the event nonetheless and was WOWed! They were super fun, putting on a fantastic show with really GOOD catchy songs that rocked both my 2 year old and his cynical-grunge-scene-queen-back-in-the-day-music-snob mama. Honestly, I didn't get it before when listening to them online, but after one show, we can't get enough and their albums are most requested in the car.

While Wonderstuff admittedly isn't my favorite of the bunch, some songs are stellar- Backpack, for example, is my daughter's favorite because of it's great upbeat tempo and I will listen to it on repeat without any complaint-it's that good. If you ask my husband, he swears it sums up every child (and husband's) burning desire for a new bag.

I have the best endorsement of all though, when I drop her off at daycare, I often forget to change to the radio and ride the rest of the way full on singing along with RM, WITHOUT my kid in the car.

So, my review is a 4 star for Wonderstuff, but for Recess Monkey in general it's 5+!

We have bought more as gifts to spread these good ideas/songs. Great music, funny (fr adults and kids) characters/story, great theme. My 5 yo listened so intently to the story we were able to have a very complex discussion on habitat destruction etc..

My son loves Recess Monkey. They are nice guys... we saw them in a small concert recently and got a chance to talk. They even autographed his guitar. Their music is super. The lead vocals are silky and punchy at the same time. What a voice. The story here is a simple fantasy about magical bees that sting you with ideas. The "Grey" is the party pooper and has to be beaten back. My son listened to the whole thing when we took a long car trip recently. The songs are great and stand on their own without the vocal talking tracks that tell the story. Good going guys!

My two-year old daughter and I love these songs. She learned them fairly quickly. Very catchy without being annoying. She still doesn't get into the story though.

Wonderstuff is a loosely-formed concept album written in collaboration with a schoolful of kids, and the fact that it was a double album helped garner some additional sweethearts. We found the effort to be a disappointment on several levels. A playful tone and freewheeling spirit masks a narrative so loose it disintegrates in the telling and a mishmash of musical styles that lack any aural core we could peg as Recess Monkey's heart and soul. A few great tracks can't justify this tale's double-disc treatment, and listeners are dragged through the story by a narrator of muddled pomposity and bluster whose chief attribute is his grandiloquent and meandering prose - hardly the model of a character that will fascinate young children.

Many others have loved this album, so it may be for you. To our ears, it falls flat.