Staff Pick: Tall As a Tree by Hullabaloo

So far I’ve been reluctant to embrace children’s music that is unabashedly geared for the kiddos. I’ve waded into these kid-music waters with albums that offer mellow lullabies but with Hullabaloo, I feel like I’ve cannon balled into the deep end and I couldn’t be happier.

I have been wading around in the shallow end of the children’s music genre for awhile now. Inspired to start looking for more traditional lullabies after listening to Nora Jones for the nine hundredth time, I started slow with albums from Rockabye Baby! and Lisa Loeb. But now that my babe is in full-blown toddler mode and will, if provided with the right musical stimulation, break out moves that can only be described as Lord of the Dance meets the Hokey Pokey, I began to seek out more upbeat tunes so as to put her on the fast track to an appearance on So You Think You Can Dance.

Hullabaloo was just what I was looking for - upbeat yet gentle. Youthful and thoughtful. Since I only share albums that I really enjoy, you can expect that all of the songs on Tall As a Tree are delightful but I still have my favorites; I’ve Been Working On the Railroad, Everybody Clap Your Hands, Hey Lolly, Lolly, Sippy Cup (sure to be a favorite among caffeine dependent moms like me) and Mom’s the Word.