The granddaughter of notable Woodie Guthrie (and daughter of the also-revered Arlo Guthrie) is very much just as talented in song and voice. Sarah Lee Guthrie & family have released under the Smithsonian Folkways label a brand new album for kids of all ages: Go Waggaloo.
Sarah Lee is mainly joined by her husband and perfectly paired music partner, Johnny Irion, and their two young daughters. Their little voices make the album extra special! Any child likes to hear other children sing….and this album is no exception. Just precious.
Other family and friends join the Guthrie-Irion family on this 13-track CD, as well, such as Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez Seeger. Three of the songs are lyrics penned by her grandfather, Woody, never till now set to music.
This is a folk album, yes, and its small-town, bluegrass-type roots shine brightly. Yet nestled within the tracks are a few that stand out and are a little, well, different. Big Moon is the shortest track, and is interjected with giggles, vocal sound effects, and electronic elements. Really, every single song on this CD is novel, new, surprising, and refreshing. It’s a joy to listen to when it comes to its immense variety.
My personal favorite is one that makes me laugh out loud: If Mama Had Four Hands. Don’t we all wonder sometimes what this would be like??
And She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain reminds me of sitting around with my mom, dad, and sister, guitars and pianos and voices ready for our “Saturday night singings.” I feel so blessed to have grown up in such a musically-rich family, and this album shows me that the importance of the handing down of such things to younger generations is still very much alive and well…
Sarah Lee’s voice is silky smooth and sweet. The music is sway-able and singable. “Thoughtful yet playful,” or so the album is described, and I couldn’t say it better myself.
You can buy Go Waggaloo at Smithsonian Folkways’s online store for $11.99 (or download the album for $9.99). (The physical CD comes with a cleverly tucked-away booklet with song lyrics and background story notes.)
Win it! Courtesy of Sarah Lee Guthrie & family and Sugar Mountain PR, TWO of you will win a Go Waggaloo CD! To enter to win, listen to the sample tracks at Smithsonian Folkways and tell me, in a comment below, your absolute favorite. (It’ll be tough, I promise!) I’ll close the contest next Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 11pm EST. Sorry; US entries only. Good luck!
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations to #4, Debijot, and #5, Heather!, the winners of this fun CD!
Laureen (2 years ago)
My favorite is Bright Clear Day. Thanks!
Linda Kish (2 years ago)
I like Big Moon
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
xenia (2 years ago)
I think Brush Your Teeth Blues # 57 is cute!
DEBIJOT (2 years ago)
I like She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain.
Heather! (2 years ago)
I like Bright Clear Day! This is such a cool giveaway! My husband and I were just listening to Arlo Guthrie the other day (“Alice’s Restaurant”) and were talking about how much we loved him. I had never heard about his daughter, so this is so cool to ‘discover’ her and her family’s music! Thanks so much!!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
renee (2 years ago)
I love Sarah’s voice! My favorite song would probably be Fox and The Goose
Judy B (2 years ago)
Since my son is soooo into it, I’ll say Big Moon is my fav.