Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George

That about wraps up this singer-songwriter classic. While kid-friendly, it's not kids- only. I personally find in this music ideals and feelings I have held close to my heart since my earliest memories. Its a shame some people have responded to it with such vitriol. I don't get that viewpoint. Perhaps if you like swatting butterflies and stomping on flowers you will hate this. For the rest of us who enjoy good, rootsy folk- influenced music and have enough stress in their life ( most of us, let's face it) to understand the emotional relief you get by listening to songs that shine a little sun into our lives without being a part of the mass-pruduced, coorporate- made schlock out there, this will satisfy fully.Jack Johnson deserves a place by the likes of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Cat Stevens. A real talent in this genre of music, and this album is just one example proving that point.

This is Jack Johnson's finest CD. The reasons are many:1. Unlike all of his previous CDs, it is the first Jack Johnson CD that contains no tracks that I feel compelled to skip over. All of his other CDs had at least one such song, if not more. "Staple It Together" from his previous album, In Between Dreams, being the latest example. But the Curious George album is all quality, no filler.2. The sense of melody is stronger on these songs than in the past. Whereas Johnson previously had the annoying tendency to string too many words into the lines of his songs, resulting in a less-than-melodic stream-of-consciousness mellow rap of sorts at times (most of the On and On album is the worst example of that), this album has tighter melodic structures that don't meander, and good harmonies as well.3. For once, Johnson has recorded an album that is mixed properly!! Previous albums, especially Brushfire Fairytales, were mortally wounded by mixes that put the drums WAY up front. I found this really annoying and a good way to ruin an otherwise decent song. And since the drums were not anything too special anyway -- just basic backing beats -- there was no need to feature them prominently. The Curious George sountrack finally, finally gets it right.4. Some of Johnson's previous tunes reminded me too much of the old mellow, wimpy '70s artists that I can't stand. This album doesn't have that problem.So, I love this disc and I don't even have kids. I saw the Curious George movie with my niece and nephew, thought the music was great and ordered this disc right away from Amazon. I also got Jack's "In Between Dreams" album, which is equally great.The music is light, the "kid" angle of it doesn't register very much and is enjoyable when it does, and when all is said and done, the album stands as a disc that anyone of any age can unabashedly say they listen to and like.I also want to say what a refreshing change this movie and its music are from the normal kids' fare, which seems to believe that everything needs to be loud, annoying and in your face, and always with some obligatory "hip, smart-alecky wise guy with attitude" character thrown into the mix. Curious George had none of that.I read some critics, including one named Dennis Sellers, who complained that the movie had no lines with wink-wink nudge-nudge double puns in them for the adults' benefit. "There's none of the *sophisticated* humor" in Curious George that would appeal to adults, like Shrek had, he laments. Well, if "sophisticated humor" means thinly-veiled jokes about a particular male portion of anatomy -- as was the case with the jokes about "size" in Shrek -- then call me a fan of the "unsophisticated." Sheesh.Anyway, back to the CD. Get it, it's really some pretty cool music.

Jack Johnson strikes yellow, er, gold with this charming collection of wide-eyed and wonder-filled songs. Stylistically stripped down, most songs feature Johnson's easy-going vocals, a guitar or two, a bass, and some bongos. Does that make for a boring album? Not in the slightest. The songs are balanced evenly between upbeat toe-tappers (the "Sing-A-Longs") and more low-key hummables (the "Lullabies"). Almost every track is groovy in its own way with a catchy hook and innovative melodies that had this listener cocking his head saying, "That's cool." The album has demonstrated surprising replay value - the little lady (age 3) usually likes music repeated ad-nauseum, and in this case Mom and I don't mind. If you've seen Curious George's movie, the impact of these songs will be even sweeter.Without the Curious George tie-in, this album would be well received by those seeking a laid-back compilation that wouldn't necessarily lull one to sleep, (despite the title). Thank goodness, though, that the increased exposure brought about by the movie will introduce Jack Johnson's music to a score of new fans, including my family.

Best Tracks: Upside Down; We're Going to be Friends; The Sharing SongThis is a wonderfully infectious CD. The tunes weave their way into a child's life and imagination.The album is truly a sing-a-long, since it is not overly produced, but invites the listener to join in. My wife plays it in her second grade class, as the kids enjoys it and it does not jazz the kids up. My own daughter loves The Sharing Song.The songs are quick and upbeat like Upside Down, Jungle Gym while others slow down like Lullaby and Supposed to Be. There's also a nice take on Grammar Rock's: Three Is The Magic Number with Jack's The Three R's.Fans of the movie will love the memories and fans of Jack Johnson will simply appreciate another wonderful album.

I'm a 46 yyear old music junkie with a 2-year-old daughter. So when I find an album that passes muster as kiddie fare but I can groove to it as well, that's gold. And if that's your criterion, this is one of the records of the year.Laid back Hawaiian surf bum Jack Johnson's easy breezy whimsy goes just right with the George oeuvre. Happy strumming, never in any hurry, and with cheery little stories and lessons embedded into the lyric, which you don't even have to pay attention to. Playful words, playful music. The kind of record I love, and that I want my little girl to love-- which she does.If you're in the same boat as me-- looking for happening tunes for daddies and babies alike-- also check out Dan Zanes and Friends, Catch That Train!

I love Jack Johnson and the songs on this CD are wonderful. My son loves any music that has a good beat, which all of the songs on this CD have, and what's even better is that the songs are all appropriate for young kids (some even have cute lessons about sharing, recycling, etc.) while not being overly cheesy or annoying (music to an adult's ears)!