I recently had a chance to review a new album by award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Kaplan, an artist who manages to skillfully blend diverse music genres like punk, hip hop, folk, rock, blues, and much more. Trippin' Round the Mitten is his 6th not-JUST-for-kids album. He has a definite sense of humor that shines through on this album, telling great stories through the words and music of his song. He's been named one of the nation's top family entertainers. Although the "mitten" references Michigan, it's not the only subject of the CD - it includes food costumes, space, noses, and much more.
There are titles that will really get kids laughing, like "On the Phone on the Toilet" and "Supernude" - both of which are funny enough for kids and adults. His parodies are well done as well. Dialogue is mixed with music, and there are references sprinkled in just for the adult musicians who will catch them (like Shostakovich and Coltrane.
A three-time recipient of the ASCAP Plus Award, Randy has released six family albums (independently and with Universal Music and My KaZoo Music) and eight albums for adults. His work has been awarded top honors by NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards, now National Parenting Product Awards), been voted a Top Five CD in the Nickelodeon Parents' Picks Awards, and has appeared on the Top Ten lists of NPR, People magazine, Time Out New York Kids, Fids & Kamily, Zooglobble, OWTK, and many others. His music has been in constant rotation on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live for more than a decade.
Randy Kaplan studied philosophy at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and holds a B.A. in English literature from UCLA. He is a certified high school English teacher and will soon receive his Master of Arts in Teaching degree (in secondary education) from Oakland University.
Trippin' Round the Mitten is available at iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby, and at Randy Kaplan's live shows.
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CD Details: Trippin' Round the Mitten
For all ages, and especially enjoyed by ages 5 - 12
Label: Yellow Thing Records & Books
SRP: $14.99 CD. $9.99 digital download.
Running time: 58 minutes
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Randy Kaplan Performance Highlights - Summer 2017
July 22 & 23 - Hiawatha Music Festival, Marquette, MI
July 25 - Bloomfield Township Public Library, Bloomfield Township, MI
Aug. 2 - Riley Park, Farmington, MI
Aug. 8 - Rotary Park, Livonia, MI
Aug. 17 - Chelsea Festival, Chelsea, MI
July 22 & 23 - Hiawatha Music Festival, Marquette, MI
July 25 - Bloomfield Township Public Library, Bloomfield Township, MI
Aug. 2 - Riley Park, Farmington, MI
Aug. 8 - Rotary Park, Livonia, MI
Aug. 17 - Chelsea Festival, Chelsea, MI
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Visit Randy Kaplan's website HERE.
Visit Randy Kaplan's website HERE.
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