Search - Justin Roberts :: Jungle Gym

Justin Roberts hits another one out of the park!

Darla Jones | Rock Island, IL | 06/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jungle Gym



The entire family loves Justin Roberts- kids, parents and even hip grandparents! We were so excited to hear songs from his latest CD, Jungle Gym, at a concert this past May. Jungle Gym is another delightful success! We Go Duck is a song that builds in anticipation as a child is selected in a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. New Haircut is an amusing tune about how a child might view getting a haircut. All of the songs are poetic with lyrics you will find yourself singing along to. The music is upbeat and atypical for children's music in that the adults enjoy it as much as the children. This CD is for any family that wants to listen to good, clean, fun music celebrating the experiences of childhood."

More than Bouncing Baby Bliss

A. J. Morriss | Orange, CA United States | 06/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's a fallacy that fans of Justin Roberts (a group that includes child and enthusiastic adults alike) quickly recognize and discard: effective children's music must follow certain formulas. Kid's music, the fallacy states, must either consist of simple lullaby-esque modalities, be brought to life by annoying cartoon character voices or sound like circus music from a flu dream. Thankfully, artists such as Justin Roberts have proven to us that children's music can be peppy, complex and, at times, even profound.



Almost every review of a Justin Robert's album will rightly report that adults have been surprised to find their head bopping along to the music or find themselves humming (or outright belting) along to the insanely catchy hooks but, for this parent, Mr. Roberts and co. have managed to take it to another level by capturing a place of imagination and memory that had become dormant. Whether it's playing out the story of a song in my imagination (i.e., Never Getting Lost) or shaking loose some memory of a universal and timeless elementary school student habit (when exactly did I stop counting double time at the water fountain?), Justin Robert's songs take me beyond the usual themes of 123, ABC and clowns and flu dreams. Musically, Jungle Gym, like Meltdown! and Pop Fly before it, contains mostly upbeat songs showcasing catchy alliterative hooks with a few slower-I-double-dog-dare-you-to-get-misty numbers. Jungle Gym is a bit more musically ambitious than previous releases with major tempo changes befitting a rock opera (We Go Duck and Obsessed By Trucks), complex Costello-like arrangements (Fire Drill - my personal fav) and fun key-changing anthems (Snow Day). The musicianship is top notch (I particularly enjoy the bass player and drummer). From beginning to end, the album is immensely enjoyable.



So you may be thinking, "Ok, yeah, this weirdo likes the album, but uh, what about his 18 month old?" She loves it! It takes nanoseconds for her to light up once the music starts; she gyrates, she bounces, she sings "tra, tra, tra" ("tricker, tricker, tricker" on Trick or Treat). This is her ringing endorsement.



If you or your little one are already a Justin Roberts fan, then Jungle Gym is a no brainer. If you are on the hunt for new children's music that is more than sonic chewing gum for your kids, you can't do better than starting here. As an added bonus, Mr. Roberts, unlike many musicians who write a children's album as a side project, tours regularly and is likely to be in your neck of the country in the near future. Rather than taking your kids to an over-priced arena show to see the singing cartoon of the month, take them to see actual musicians (Justin and the Not Ready for Naptime Players) for a reasonable price at a venue that does not require your children to use binoculars.

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Great fun!

Deanna Brock | San Francisco, CA | 06/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Heard a review of Jungle Gym on NPR. Had never heard of Justin Roberts until then. Thought the sound bytes sounded fun. Bought the CD and our whole family is big fans now! Love "We Go Duck" and "Trick or Treat" but all are very creative, funny and have a great beat. My 3 and 5 year-old boys can't get enough. Highly recommend!"