Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could are back to continue their effective practice of genially entertaining your children with deceptively simple songs, filled with harmonies and concepts that go far beyond the comprehension of their intended audience. Their 12th collection, That Friday Feeling, from 8 Pound Gorilla Records, celebrates diversity and individuality, with songs that are positively motivated to get your children on their feet and back into the world, as they were pre-pandemic.
A mainstay in the children’s music and kindie industry for more than 15 years, Rymer and company produce reliably upbeat and appealing songs. “Superpowers” decodes the Marvel/DC universes for young listeners, pointing out that giving big hugs and greeting people with a beaming smile is just as important as being invisible or reading minds.
“Babies of Summer” talks about the excitement of spotting new offspring of pets and wild animals. However, Rymer is up to his charmingly misleading ways on the seemingly similar “Following the Bunny Tracks.” Kids may think the tune follows a child tracking a baby rabbit, while parents should realize it’s also about growing up, “steady as a clock ticks, moving on and on, proof that you were here and gone.”
Presciently, Rymer tackles the current war on diversity on “Outline.” The song uses the premise that every child is a blank slate, who fills in each aspect of their lives with different colors as they mature and become their own person:
And love will be the reds
Kindness be the blues
And hope will be a rainbow of hues
And joy will be the greens
Faith will be the greys
To fill me in and lift me off the page
Rymer selectively chooses cover songs, from Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out” on his previous release, Under the Big Umbrella, to That Friday Feeling‘s version of Allan Toussaint’s New Orleans classic, “Yes We Can Can.” You’ll feel the zeal and vigor pumping through your car speakers or home audio system. Not to mention the frantic playtime celebrations of Rymer originals, “Seven Hours of Fun” and the title track. Rymer and his unsinkably sunny crew give you 12 reasons to keep that Friday feeling going all week long.
That Friday Feeling is available from Brady Rymer’s website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.
Here is the band’s video for the title track, “That Friday Feeling”:
