Dog On Fleas released a song called “Doppelganger” before the pandemic, as a response to being mistakenly recognized as somebody else. The term comes to mind when listening to Steve Elci‘s new CD, Nutmegger. His vocals–as well as his song arrangements–are reminiscent of fellow children’s musician Brady Rymer (which is the inverse of being a bad thing, far from it). The two performers are located a ferry ride apart (Long Island to Connecticut) but they occupy a similar workspace and create kids’ tunes at the highest level.
A “nutmegger” is a resident of the state of Connecticut, and Steve wears his roots with pride. He combines entertainment and craftsmanship to devise distinctive hooks and lyrics that reach down your throat and make you sing along before you realize it’s happening (such as “Yellow and Green” and “Silly Words”).
All the shades of the rainbow are the subtle theme of Nutmegger, from “Yellow and Green” to singing about painting the sky red, blue, and white on “4th of July.” Steve delivers a message of tolerance and equality in “Crayons in the Sun,” pointing out that every color is different and special, but that they all run together and become one when they’re shared:
Colors, sweet colors, melting into oneTime of hope, time of choice, time to listen, a time to rejoiceWith love we’ll make a standTogether hand in hand
Steve isn’t timid about using his platform to address issues that will directly impact his young listeners. “I Won’t Say Goodbye” in title alone would appear to be a traditional CD-ending “until next time” tune. Except the creatures that Steve doesn’t want to bid adieu to are endangered species such as blue whales and California condors, not drowsy tots. Be forewarned, as satisfied, semi-conscious youngsters are the likely byproduct of an exuberant album like Nutmegger.
Nutmegger is available on April 1 from Steve Elci’s website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Here is the video for Steve Elci’s song, “Only One You,” featuring vocals from Casey and Michele O’Neil:
