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Wildlife in the Nursery

KEITH BRAMICH
comes face to face
with the singing animals ...


Nelson and Solomons    34479 30492

The Singing Animals - Wildlife in the Nursery. © 2002 Lorin Nelson and David W Solomons.

As far as I know, we've strayed into the worlds of jazz, experimental, crossover, sound effects, film music, recreations of historical church services and hymn tunes, but never before into nursery rhymes [listen -- track 11, 0:00-0:55].

A rather unusual and inventive disc, this -- a collaboration between keyboard player and arranger Lorin Nelson from Sausalito, California, USA and composer and counter tenor David W Solomons from Sale, Cheshire, UK. Taking advantage of the amazing technology available to the modern musician, and using lyrics wickedly adapted by Solomons and Terry Kluytmans, they've created a disc of childrens' songs, old and new, sung by Solomons (in one case, multi-tracked) and accompanied by Nelson in the guise of various electronic instruments and sampled animal and bird sounds.

Various styles are used -- one (Chicken Little) is a reggae number, one where 'Alice the camel has five humps ...' is sung to the tune of Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones, and some feature Solomons as narrator. In five of them, though, the animals simply take over the show and sing on their own -- Old MacDonald sung by barnyard animals, Turkey in the Straw by farm animals, Three Blind Mice by cats and Hushabye Baby by forest animals. My favourite, rather different to the others, is Rockabye Baby, sung by whales [listen -- track 19, 2:05-3:07].

Nelson and Solomons must have had great fun sampling the animals and creating the songs. The results may not be to everyone's taste, but are certainly a curiosity, and could well become a hit with your children!

Copyright © 29 June 2002 Keith Bramich, Canterbury, UK

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The Singing Animals - Wildlife in the Nursery

34479 30492 Stereo NEW RELEASE 42'09" 2002 Lorin Nelson and David W Solomons

David W Solomons, counter tenor, Lorin Nelson, instruments and samplers. Arrangements by David W Solomons and Lorin Nelson; Lyrics by David W Solomons and Terry Kluytmans

Wildlife in the Nursery; Hickory Dickory Dock; Old MacDonald; Chicken Little; Three Blind Mice (No 1); Baa Baa Black Sheep; Pop Goes the Weasel; Little Bo Peep; Where Has My Little Dog Gone?; Alice the Camel; Froggy Would A-Wooing Go; Turkey in the Straw; The Birding Song; Three Little Pigs; Three Blind Mice (No 2); Mary had a Little ...; The Elephant; Hushabye Baby; Rockabye Baby; Handel's Water Music

DOWNLOAD A TRACK FREE FROM AMAZON

BUY THIS DISC FROM CDBABY.COM

THE SINGING ANIMALS AT MP3.COM

LORIN NELSON'S MP3.COM SITE

DAVID W SOLOMONS' WEBSITE

TERRY KLUYTMANS' WEBSITE

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Record Box is Music & Vision's regular Saturday series of shorter CD reviews