I don’t know about your kids, but mine love Laurie Berkner’s each and every song! My now 15 month old son’s first dances were to “We are the Dinosaurs”a few months ago, and it was the cutest thing on earth to watch him marching to the drumbeat, each leg up super high at its turn. I was so excited to hear that our beloved Ms. Berkner is coming out with a new album! Here’s everything you need to know about it, enjoy!
~Rebecca Conroy, Editor of A Child Grows in Brooklyn
Eight years coming, and The Laurie Berkner Band, authentic superstars of kids’ music, proudly announces the September 23rd release of Superhero, the highly anticipated first full album since 2008 loaded with all-new songs by beloved children’s musician Laurie Berkner.
Says Laurie Berkner, “I wrote Superhero thinking about many things that I found fun as a kid, and I’m so thrilled to have such wonderful guests to share that fun, including superstar crown prince of reggae, Ziggy Marley, super musical yogini Kira Willey, and our own superbassman, Brady Rymer, who gets a special slot up front in addition to his regular vocal and instrumental contributions as a member of The Laurie Berkner Band, along with bandmates Susie Lampert (keyboards and vocals) and Bobby Golden (drums, percussion, and the occasional frog sound).”
Superhero soars through a spectrum of musical styles, including ‘60s pop, rootsy rock, lullabies, reggae, Latin, and more. As fans have come to expect, all of Laurie Berkner’s songs on Superhero speak to kids without talking down to them, through imaginative lyrics that both enchant and empower.
Laurie Berkner explains, “To me, Superhero is about self-empowerment – being our best selves and discovering the superhero in all of us.”
It is easy to see why a singer with a voice of the richness and depth of Laurie Berkner’s would devote a portion of her recordings to solo and a cappella singing. On “Face to Face” Laurie employs an intimate a cappella to capture a lovely parent/child moment. At the other end of the spectrum, “Pajama Time!” utilizes a Bo Diddley-like rhythmic undercurrent of kaleidoscopic layers to display an impressive battery of percussion sounds. In such a setting practically any lyrics would do, but with Laurie Berkner’s ebullient humor and creative word play, “Pajama Time!” is over-the-top fun.
“Swing Me” showcases both Kira Willey’s elegant violin playing and the sweet way her voice joins with Laurie Berkner’s. Brady Rymer shares the vocal lead on “Opelika Alabama,” a track that explodes with the sonic energy of David Mann’s terrific alto saxophone solo. Laurie’s daughter, Lucy Mueller, charms listeners by singing with her mom on “Elephant In There,” a story-song that offers a cure for imaginary internal elephants. Superhero comes to an emphatically empowering close with the ultimate superhero message in the shape of an eternally positive “Yes!”
Here’s some of her love from the press:
“The queen of children’s music.” – People Magazine
“The Adele of the preschool crowd.” – The New York Times
“In the world of children’s music, Laurie Berkner isn’t just popular, she’s an icon. Her earworm tunes have taken her from The Today Show to the White House.” – The Denver Post
