Disclaimer: I did not and will not receive any financial compensation for this post. I received a copy of the
Frog Trouble CD for review purposes. All opinions expressed in the review are solely the opinions of the Pop Culture Family and shall in no way be imputed to the Warner Music Group, Sandra Boyton, or Big Honcho Media.
REVIEWAs I have mentioned before, my house is filled with Sandra Boynton fans. So you can imagine how over-the-moon giddy I was when I was asked to review her latest CD. Now, everyone in my house likes country music. Pop Culture Dad, despite being born on the East Coast and raised in the Midwest, is probably the biggest country music fan in our house; and I, despite being born and raised in Texas and owning horses and a cattle ranch (seriously, I do), am a much smaller country music fan. My dad raised me on mostly Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Kenny Rogers-type country, with some Crystal Gayle thrown in here and there (the classic stuff). In high school, I frequently played Pam Tillis, Trisha Yearwood, or John Michael Montgomery in rotation with Boys II Men, Madonna, and Dr. Dre. But as I got older, my tastes in country music got more pop-py. Sure, I still like the songs I used to, but if I'm going to pick new country music to listen to, I'm more likely to rev up Shedaisy, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, or Dixie Chicks than… I dunno, pick someone who's won a CMA recently. You can keep your Tobey Keith, thank you.
So I approached this CD with some reservations. I love Sandra Boynton, but would I
like this CD? The answer is apparently, for the most part, yes. Pop Culture Dad had no such reservations. When the CD arrived, he looked at the list of artists and said, "I'm going to love this song… and that one… and that one." He was right in most cases. [The Pop Culture Kids have pure minds, free of biases, and went into this whole gig with no pre-formed opinions whatsoever].
Overall, it's a great CD. It's very kid-friendly, and definitely doesn't give a parent pause like some of the songs on Radio Disney sometimes can. This is not a CD for people who don't like country music, however. If you consider Taylor Swift real country and are expecting that kind of sound, this is not the CD for you. Some of these tracks (most of them) have a real, old country kind of feel, banjos and all. There are some crossover hits, like Darius Rucker's "Beautiful Baby" or Ben Folds' "Broken Piano," but overall, there is no doubt that
Frog Trouble is country.
The Good: My entire family agrees that "Heartache Song" is the best track on this CD. It's a fun, bluesy track that starts with Kacey Musgraves belting, "They made me cleanup my room..." before launching into other apparent woes of being a kid. Not gonna lie, the
Grease geek in me kind of thought of Stockard Channing singing "Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee" in parts (this is a good thing, people). Another favorite of mine (though Pop Culture Dad may disagree) is "Beautiful Baby." Darius Rucker has this uncanny ability to sing songs that make you look at your children and breakdown into happy tears.
The Not-So-Good: The first song Pop Culture Dad prematurely declared he would love turned out to be the Pop Culture Family's least favorite. Look, no disrespect to Alison Krauss (one of Pop Culture Dad's favorite singers), but "End of a Summer Storm" was a wee but depressing. I mean, her voice sounded just fine (I guess), but the song was overall kind of a bummer. Pop Culture Dad thought it just didn't have a place on a kids' album. Also, I liked "Copycat," but I don't want to, because I still don't forgive Brad Paisley for that intentionally racist "Accidental Racist," so despite liking the song, I'm giving it a very stubborn thumbs-down.
In general, I think any family who likes country music or just fun kids' music, regardless of genre, will like Frog Trouble. Now, thanks to Warner Music Group, one lucky reader will get a chance to own it for free!
THE GIVEAWAYBefore we get into the details from the concert sponsor, Warner Music Group, let me do some additional disclaimers [sorry, I'm a lawyer. That's what we do].
° The giveaway ends at
midnight Monday, October 14, 2013, prevailing Central Time. Any entries received after 11:59.59 CT on October 13, 2013 will not be entered in the giveaway.
° The prizes will actually be furnished by Warner Music Group. I'm the facilitator. Once the winner is chosen, Warner is the one sending the prize. If the Post is slow, don't yell at me, please.
° The prize can only be shipped to a US address.
° While the CD does not in any way contain adult content, this giveaway is limited to people 18 and older
° All the information below is from Warner Music Group. When you hit the line, that's when my opinion ends and theirs begins.
° There are four ways to enter:
1. The first is
mandatory—leave a comment. I'm disabling comment verification just for this giveaway. Your comment can be about
anything. Don't use it as an excuse to get all crazy and internet-trollie. I am still a member of the Mom Pledge, and anyone who uses this free period to go bananas with hate-speech or bullying will not only be ineligible from the contest, but will be banned from the site.
2. Like
The Pop Culture Mom Facebook page. This option is worth two entries. If you already like the page, leave a separate comment to make sure your "like" is counted.
3.
Follow me on Twitter
4. Retweet about the contest. One Tweet per day only, please.
° The giveaway is being managed by Rafflecopter, so to make sure your entry counts, go here:
a Rafflecopter giveawayThat's it! That's all you have to do! And now... A word from our sponsor:
FROG TROUBLEAudio CD by Sandra Boynton
In Stores NowHang on to yer hat, Cowboy! Experience Sandra Boynton’s
Frog Trouble with your little one!
One (1) winner receives:
· Kid-safe headphones
· copy of Frog Trouble CD
Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only.
Prizing & samples courtesy of Warner Music Group.
About the CDGrammy nominated and bestselling children’s author, songwriter and music producer, Sandra Boynton, presents her first Country album,
Frog Trouble. The album features 12 original songs by Boynton, arranged and mixed with Michael Ford.
Boynton produced the tracks mostly in Nashville, with renowned session musicians and an All-Star roster. Each artist was hand-picked by Boynton for this retro sounding album, including Dwight Yoakam, Fountains of Wayne, Mark Lanegan, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, Linda Eder, and Falls Mountain Cowboys.
With composer Michael Ford, Boynton has written and produced five albums, three of which have been certified Gold. She also received a GRAMMY nomination for the Boynton/Ford album Philadelphia Chickens. Frog Trouble has tracks ranging from Country to Bluegrass to Rockabilly to Honkytonk to Blues. It’s truly an album for everyone or, as the cover says, "For ages one to older than dirt."
FROG TROUBLE Track Listing
1. I’ve Got a Dog – Dwight Yoakam
2. Trucks – Fountains of Wayne
3. Frog Trouble – Mark Lanegan
4. Heartache Song – Kacey Musgraves
5. When Pigs Fly – Ryan Adams
6. Broken Piano – Ben Folds
7. Copycat – Brad Paisley
8. End of a Summer Storm – Alison Krauss
9. Alligator Stroll – Josh Turner
10. Beautiful Baby – Darius Rucker
11. Deepest Blue – Linda Eder
12. More Frog Trouble – Falls Mountain Cowboys (a fictitious group)
Frog Trouble OnlineVisit the
official websiteLike Sandra Boynton on
Facebook Watch clips on
YouTube Follow
@SandyBoynton on
Twitter
#FrogTroubleAvailable at the following retailers
AmazonBarnes & NobleiTunes
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