Frances England's debut CD is an extremely listenable, understated collection of original music for the under 5 set. You'll find nice acoustic arrangements, simple girl next door vocals and lyrics that don't talk down to kids. It's a winner. Details, details - Artist: Frances England - Ages: 2-4 years - Genre: Folk - Original Release Date: May 31, 2006 - Running Time:27:22 Track Listing1. Sometimes2. Tricycle3. Paint a Picture4. Fascinating Creatures5. Daddy-O Listen 6. Busy as a Bee7. Charlie Parker Listen 8. Digging in the Dirt Listen 9. Where Do they Go?10. The Books I like to Read11. Blue Canoe12. Blueberry Pancakes13. Little Bright Star

Average Customer Rating:

4.5

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Rating Snapshot (4 reviews)

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4 of 4(100%) people would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Fascinating Creatures Artist: Frances England

Review 1 for Fascinating Creatures Artist: Frances England

Rating:

4 out of 5

Would you recommend? Yes

Zooglobble

June 4, 2008

Fascinating Creatures: Frances England

"I initially approached Frances England's 2006 debut album Fascinating
Creatures as if I was playing a game of "spot-the-influence." Did I hear Elizabeth Mitchell (who recorded a low-key and lo-fi debut CD a number of years ago)? Did I hear Cat Power or Yo La Tengo, a couple artists England herself cites as influences?

And after a couple spin-throughs, I thought that to play that game was unfair to England, who has recorded one of the most adventurous children's music albums in some time, quite unlike anything out there at the moment.

England wrote all 13 songs on the album and recorded it with her husband's cousin Billy Riggs. Lyrically, England covers the 4-year-old waterfront -- tricycles ("Tricycle"); trains, trucks, boats and airplanes ("Where Do They Go?"); and the fun of a blueberry pancake breakfast ("Blueberry Pancakes") -- without talking down to the listener. These aren't new topics for children's music, but lines like
"Tell me where do all the big boats go? / As they crash against the wild, dark sea / With containers stacked both high and low / The captain steers towards land and safety" aren't a typical children's music lyric.

Musically, the first half of the CD is a low-key affair, primarily acoustic guitars and light percussion. But on "Charlie Parker," the middle song on the album, that the album kicks into a higher gear, adding electric guitar and drums. It's a little odd to hear a rock song about jazz greats (albeit with some scat singing), but it works. The next song, "Digging in the Dirt," about gardening (natch), is an even fuzzier rock song. Eventually the CD winds down again, returning to acoustic guitar and England's voice.

Although England's voice reminds me a little bit of the nasally twang of folksinger Iris DeMent (particularly on "Where Do They Go?"), it wasn't until I heard England rock out that I figured out who she reminded me most of -- Tanya Donnelly in her Belly years, alternative rock in which Donnelly's voice was used as another instrument along with the wall of guitar sound. England yodels, yips, and in general provides the musical variation on the simple instrumental backup.

The album isn't perfect -- the mix of instruments on the rock songs sounded a bit muddied to my ears, for example. And England can sometimes try to fit too many syllables into a lyric. (One of my favorite songs on the CD, the closer "Little Bright Star," doesn't do that, and shines -- pun unintended -- for it.)

But that's quibbling. Fascinating Creatures is a good album, a very promising debut. (My wife likes it, and she's a much harsher critic of these kids CDs than I am.) It's probably best for kids age 2 through 7.

I don't think this CD or Ms. England will stay secret for long. Recommended."

1 of 1 found this review helpful.

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Review 2 for Fascinating Creatures Artist: Frances England

Rating:

5 out of 5

Would you recommend? Yes

southerncalmama

Location - So Cal

Number of Kids - 3

Age of youngest child - 2-4

Age of oldest child - 8+

Age - 30-39

May 6, 2008

Beautiful Music

"Frances England's music is some of the best children's music I have heard. It is beautiful music to listen to in the car, at home or wherever. Children and parents will enjoy listening to it together.
Don't wait buy it NOW, you won't regret it."

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Review 3 for Fascinating Creatures Artist: Frances England

Rating:

5 out of 5

Would you recommend? Yes

MamaL

Location - Houston, TX

Number of Kids - 1

Age of youngest child - 0-1

Age of oldest child - 0-1

Age - 30-39

April 10, 2008

Fun Music

"I bought this CD for my daughter when she was 6 months old, and we've been listening every since! The songs are fun even for adults, and I find myself singing the songs when I don't even have the music on! Highly recommended!"

1 of 2 found this review helpful.

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Review 4 for Fascinating Creatures Artist: Frances England

Rating:

4 out of 5

Would you recommend? Yes

gingerjab

Number of Kids - 2

Age of youngest child - 0-1

Age of oldest child - 2-4

Age - 30-39

April 10, 2008

Great for preschool aged

"My son loves music, and both my husband and I are active musicians - this is a cheery c.d. for preschool aged children to get them involved in music and teach them simple lyrics. My son dances to this c.d. in the car - very cute."

1 of 2 found this review helpful.

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