Children's Music
A group of 17 Minnesota artists contributed to "MN Music 4 MN Kids," a benefit for the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.
Image credit: Courtesy MN Music 4 MN Kids
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"MN Music 4 MN Kids" Release PartySoulful hip-hop, pulsing electro-pop beats, catchy Indie guitar licks and a few soothing piano ballads. Those are the ingredients in “MN Music 4 MN Kids,” the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota’s new benefit CD.
This newly released compilation includes 17 of Minnesota’s most talented musicians, including Mason Jennings, Dessa and Koo Koo Kanga Roo.
Adam Levy produced the album with Lily Troia, and his band, Bunny Clogs is also featured on the disc. Their track, “Peaches & Frankie,” is one of the highlights of the album and features Levy’s two young daughters providing lovable background vocals.
“It is a wonderful gift that as an artist we’re able to give,” says Levy, whose music is an upbeat cross between a Shel Silverstein poem and a more rocked-out Raffi.
Each artist wrote or selected their song specifically for the album to ensure that the message centered on the focus of the album: children.
Dan Israel, a St. Louis Park native and pop/Americana musician, wrote his song “Never Go Away,” after his first son was born. “I realized for the first time that someone was now dependent on me,” Israel says. “So the song says ‘my love for you will never go away.’”
But while the album’s lyrics and messages are all kid-friendly, the songs are a far cry from simply “children’s music.” Parents will enjoy the quality and diverse styles of songs, especially by those artists who usually cater to a more mature audience.
One of these musicians is Twin Cities’ hip-hop artist and community activist Toki Wright, whose song “Memories” has a mellow beat, as well as discerning lyrics that will bring any Minnesota native back to their childhood days on the lake.
It is the artists on “MN Music 4 MN Kids,” that really make the CD something exceptional. Through their fusion of genres, beats, instrumentals and voices, the artists give the album undeniable flair, but more importantly, help benefit an important cause.
The Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota are holding a release party for “MN Music 4 MN Kids” on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cedar Cultural Center. The album can also be purchased at amazon.com, on iTunes and at all Creative Kidstuff locations. For more information and to listen to sample tracks go to childrensmn.org
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