Review By HOMA WOODRUM
I received an advance review copy of “In a Heartbeat” by Laura Doherty and have played it several times for my children (ages 3 and 5) since. Ms. Doherty’s voice is lovely and the accompaniment, though sparing, makes the lyrics take center stage which makes sense for children’s music. A side note about the packaging, each track has a cartoon-style drawing that corresponds with the song’s title, perfect for pre and early readers that want to indicate which song they’d like to hear next. For example, a dinosaur holding a saxophone is paired with the song “Jazzasaurus.”
Here are the thirteen tracks as they’re listed on the back of the CD:
All are kid friendly with only a few lyrics that may be worth noting for vegetarian or vegan families. In the song “Breakfast Gives Me Energy” the foods referenced are bananas, blueberries, oatmeal, and yogurt. In “Paper Moon” a line in the chorus says “it’s a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phony as it can be, but it wouldn’t be make believe if you believed in me.” I think the reference is more allegorical but as Barnum and Bailey is a famous circus I thought I’d mention it (incidentally, per the album notes, the song is one of two that is not entirely by Ms. Doherty).
The song “Woolly Woolly Bear” is about a caterpillar and it was surprising to me that a cocoon is involved in the transformation into a butterfly instead of a chrysalis (aside: Eric Carle, in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, actually uses the term cocoon as well).
Standout tracks for our family include “I’m a Little Fish,” “Bicycle,” and “Heartbeat.” In “Heartbeat,” being able to feel a heart beat like a drum when dancing, running, exercising, swimming, etc. leads into loving someone. A sweet CD set for release around Valentine’s Day.
Jessica // Feb 2, 2014 at 1:37 pm
Thanks for letting veg parents know about the circus reference in “Paper Moon” – that’s definitely something I’d want to know, given my objection to the abuse of exotic animals in circuses. I did just learn though that song “Paper Moon,” sometimes known as “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” is a jazz standard, written in 1933 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and Billy Rose. Many, many artists, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole have recorded their versions of this classic. Laura had nothing to do with writing the lyrics or the music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Only_a_Paper_Moon_%28song%29 The more you know! 🙂
Laura Doherty // Feb 3, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Hi Homa,
Thank you for the nice review! I thought your readers might be interested in a couple other of my vegetarian-friendly songs: “Vegetable Party” from my CD “Shining Like a Star”: https://soundcloud.com/lauradohertymusic/vegetable-party-laura-doherty
And “Farmer’s Market” from my “Kids in the City” CD. Music video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgqzSVEH-A4
Homa // Feb 6, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Thank you Jessica for explaining the origins of the song, I am not well versed in jazz and I found the article interesting!
Laura, thank you for reading and commenting! I love “Vegetable Party” with the back and forth with the kids. My son adores berries from the farmer’s market, he’ll get a kick out of the video you shared. 🙂