Animal Crackers in My Soup: The Songs of Shirley Temple

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Never has there been a better time to climb aboard the Good Ship Lollipop. With folk-blues great Maria Muldaur at the helm, Shirley Temple's classics shed their girlie-poo preciousness and shimmy into a new-millennium attitude, speckled with spunk, finger-snapping rhythms, and jazzy sophistication. These 13 songs, all of whose '30-era lyrics prove watertight, send nostalgia walking the gangplank, and lower the life rafts for a new generation of car-seated crooners. Muldaur glides, gravel voiced, into long-lost favorites like "An Old Straw Hat," "Goodnight My Love," and "I Love to Walk in the Rain," but it's on a handful of duets that she shines brightest. "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby" with Norton Buffalo serves up a cheeky give-and-go that even vegetable haters will gobble willingly, and "We Should Be Together" ("You're a cup of coffee / You're a peachy pie") with Buffalo and child star Carrie Lyn--who also performs the title track, "On the Good Ship Lollipop," "When I Grow Up," and "Lullaby to a Doll"--is parent-child snuggle music, pure and simple. (Get out your movie guide if you need to know which films these tunes come from, though, because the liner notes won't help you.) Temple fans might favor a more foo-foo flavor to these classics, but for now, forget the fluff. Muldaur's chocolate-bar landings prove every ounce as happy as her precocious predecessor's, and the lemonade stands and crackerjack bands still sweep you back to more innocent shores as effectively. --Tammy La Gorce

Animal Crackers in My Soup: The Songs of Shirley Temple, Music, Maria Muldaur, Children's Collections, Childrens, Pop, Sing-Along

Average customer rating:

A Gem: You'll Never Grow Old If You're Young at Heart

Not Just for Little People!

Who's the kid on the cover

Animal Crackers in My Soup: The Songs of Shirley Temple
Maria Muldaur
Manufacturer: Music Little People
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Compilations | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Sing-A-Longs | Children's Music | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B000066RLV
Release Date: 2002-06-18

Tracks:

You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby
Animal Crackers In My Soup
At The Codfish Ball
Hey! What Did The Blue Jay Say?
We Should Be Together
On The Good Ship Lollipop
I Love To Walk In The Rain
This Is A Happy Little Ditty
Early Bird
When I Grow Up
An Old Straw Hat
Goodnight, My Love
Lullaby To A Doll

Product Description

GENERAL FEATURES: Animal Crackers In My Soup At The Codfish Ball You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby Hey! What Did The Bluejay Say? We Should Be Together On The Good Ship Lollipop I Love To Walk In The Rain This Is A Happy Little Ditty Early Bird When I Grow Up An Old Straw Hat Goodnight, My Love Lullaby To A Doll Educational entertainment for all ages.

Amazon.com

Never has there been a better time to climb aboard the Good Ship Lollipop. With folk-blues great Maria Muldaur at the helm, Shirley Temple's classics shed their girlie-poo preciousness and shimmy into a new-millennium attitude, speckled with spunk, finger-snapping rhythms, and jazzy sophistication. These 13 songs, all of whose '30-era lyrics prove watertight, send nostalgia walking the gangplank, and lower the life rafts for a new generation of car-seated crooners. Muldaur glides, gravel voiced, into long-lost favorites like "An Old Straw Hat," "Goodnight My Love," and "I Love to Walk in the Rain," but it's on a handful of duets that she shines brightest. "You've Gotta Eat Your Spinach, Baby" with Norton Buffalo serves up a cheeky give-and-go that even vegetable haters will gobble willingly, and "We Should Be Together" ("You're a cup of coffee / You're a peachy pie") with Buffalo and child star Carrie Lyn--who also performs the title track, "On the Good Ship Lollipop," "When I Grow Up," and "Lullaby to a Doll"--is parent-child snuggle music, pure and simple. (Get out your movie guide if you need to know which films these tunes come from, though, because the liner notes won't help you.) Temple fans might favor a more foo-foo flavor to these classics, but for now, forget the fluff. Muldaur's chocolate-bar landings prove every ounce as happy as her precocious predecessor's, and the lemonade stands and crackerjack bands still sweep you back to more innocent shores as effectively. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews:

A Gem: You'll Never Grow Old If You're Young at Heart.......2004-05-02

Because Maria Muldaur is so fabulous, I unabashedly bought "Animal Crackers in My Soup" for my (grown-up) self. It is a flat-out terrific album, brightly fun and touching. The renditions highlight how perceptive, witty, and, as Maria says in the liner notes, "hip" the songs are. Like the best reinterpretations of jazz classics, they both re-enliven the songs and pay tribute to the original performers. Maria surely would have been a film star in the 1930s (from screwballs to weepers), with her keen intelligence, independent spirit, energy, comedic talents, beauty, and sultriness. So, I guess we can't say that they don't make 'em like that anymore. She should have at least a special on TMC or AMC!

As in Shirley Temple's work, love shines through Maria's voice on these songs, providing the embrace, faith, and hopefulness that children--and all of us--need. One can truly feel that love. Maria has paid close attention to the child listener through, for example, her clear enunciation and the duets with and solos by little Carrie Lyn, which would encourage sing-along. (And dance-along and snap-along: You have to start swingin' when you hear this album!) The intelligence and care in the album are also apparent in the selection of all the artists. The band is "cherce," as Jimmy Durante would say. Carrie Lyn is a marvel--believe it or not, a child performer without a touch of the lamentable oversophistication and Broadway "projection" that predominate nowadays. And Norton Buffalo is a hoot. There is no "talking down" to children on this album.

You don't have to analyze the components, though, just enjoy them! I highly recommend the album for children (it will become for me a favorite gift for children), jazz lovers, wits, fans of old movies, anyone who needs a lift--well, anyone! Now, that's one way to discover your sparkling inner child. I can't wait to get Maria Muldaur's other albums for "young people." OK, swing it!

Not Just for Little People!.......2004-01-20

Maria Muldaur is an American musical treasure, so don't be fooled into thinking her recordings for children are not also FABULOUS for us big grown up people. As is always the happy case, Muldaur brings aboard superior musicians and here assembles a tight swinging band featuring an especially talented player of all the reed instruments-Jim Rothermel. The sound is very much like John Kirby's Biggest Little Band of the 30's and 40's that often featured Claud Thornhill's piano and the light hot swing of Maxine Sullivan. And-as always, Maria shows exquisite taste in assemling songs from the great songsmiths of the 30's like Ted Koeler, Eddy Heyman, Mitchell Parrish, Richard Whiting and Harold Arlen. All the material is charmingly memorable in the delicious styles of Red Norvo's little swing band with Mildred Bailey or Teddy Wilson's sextet with clarinetist Edmond Hall. Goodnight my Love swings just like Benny Goodman's hit with Helen Ward, and when Muldaur sings with the young talented 8 year old girl you'd swear the Boswell Sisters were swinging singing again. Superior music for young and old!

Who's the kid on the cover.......2002-12-03

I must first say that I and more importantly, my boys (3 and 2) love this CD. The whole family sings along while the music is on and long after.
After I got over my initial annoyance with the grown lady singing the lion's share of the Shirley Temple songs, I've decided that I can live with it. But, they had a talented child (obvious from the songs she is allowed to sing) why not let her sing?
Look at the cover, don't we all expect to hear a child's voice?
The music, though, is just right for the upbeat, innocent and full sound we look for. (With maybe the exception of "When I grow up" ...too long...and "Good night, my love" ...too schmoozy and seemingly another excuse for Ms. Muldaur to steal the kid's spotlight.

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