April showers are promising a bucketful of children’s music releases. Leading the torrent is Welcome Spring, the uplifting new EP from Chicago’s Little Miss Ann (Ann Torralba) through 8 Lb Gorilla Records. Buoyed by the spirit of collaboration, Ann has released six tracks featuring a savvy arsenal of similar-minded performers, guided by kids music über producer Dean Jones.
Little Miss Ann is pumped that the winter (and possibly the worst of the pandemic) are behind us. Welcome Spring and all the promise of warm weather and kindness of friends and family.If there’s a common thread to the songs on Welcome Spring, it’s a child’s awakening to the outside world and their own abilities. The peppy title track showcases vocals by Brooklyn’s Suzi Shelton and highlights the trumpet playing of Anna Jacobson. “Your Own Way,” a duet with Uncle Jumbo, describes many things that make people stand out as individuals. “I Like Rice” covers similar ground with different types of food (showcasing fellow singer Flor Bromley). Second-generation drummer Michael Napolitano (of Michael and the Rockness Monsters) adds 1960s drums to “Koo Roo Koo Roo Koo Koo.” Shelton and Ann’s daughter Olivia accentuate “Parts Are Greater Than the Whole,” which emphasizes that some people seem to have bigger hearts.
Welcome Spring is available April 1 from Little Miss Ann’s website, Amazon, Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Here is the video for Little Miss Ann’s song, “Welcome Spring”:
Anyone who’s ever gazed down at their newborn and thought “I made this” will appreciate “Art,” the new video from Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari. The tune, from WHAT KIND OF WORLD?, the 2021 collection by Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats, is a meta musing about the artistic process and how our development influences the world around us. The literal artwork was provided by 7-year-old Hannah Mayers, set to animation by director Matt Mayers. View the video here:
