Perfect Family Album, Fan of Camp or Not!by Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

June 12, 2009: If CD's wore out, this one would be dust. We've played it so much around here - in the car, at b-day parties... I get the request for "the pancake song", and "the song with the dog" ALL THE TIME. And the good news is, I'm not totally sick of it! This is one of those rare children's albums that transcends the form enough to be appealing to adults as well. It's not cloying or pandering, but well-crafted and sweet, at times a little sentimental and a little clever, but in a really good way. We love it.

And I completely disagree with the above reviewer who thinks you have to have kids to make a good kids record! One of the most disappointing recent trends is that of established artists becoming parents and then tossing out an album of the songs they wrote for their own kids without any regard for quality... It's a real pet peeve of mine. And I've been suckered into buying albums I've been totally bummed out about because they're by artists I usually love. That is NOT the case with Camp Lisa! I think Lisa truly understands and loves the medium and would write these songs, kids or no kids.

It's enjoyable, high quality music for everyone.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah!by Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

September 13, 2008: Here I am at Camp Lisa. Now I remember why I always hated camp. First off, Lisa Loeb is obviously just cashing in on the 'make a kids record' trend that so many other artists have followed. In some cases it makes sense, because those artists actually have KIDS. Lisa does not. In fact, the last time I saw her she was selling out her own love life via a tacky reality show, trying to land a guy. I guess it didn't work out too well, because now she's hanging out with us kids. The album is collection of camp-related or themed songs - as you would guess by the title - but there are only 9 original songs here - all cowritten with two other people. And of those 9 only 2 are worth listening to more than once...'Best Friend' and 'When It Rains'. And even then, they just sound like stuff she usually does. Otherwise, we're treated to super-short and throwaway things like 'H.A.P.P.Y.' - all five seconds of it - three annoying takes of the 'Woodchuck' tongue-twister, and other songs that nobody knows who wrote or want to hear again like 'The Cookie Jar Song'. Her unenthusiastic version of the Sharon, Lois and Bram classic 'Peanut Butter' makes me *want* to have a peanut allergy. Don't get excited about the 'special guests' they tell you about in the brochure. Steve Martin only gently plucks away during the confusing-but-meant-to-be-quirky 'Disappointing Pancake' - nothing like the banjo he *used* to play during his standup routines in the late 70s. Jill Sobule, Nina Gordon and Kay Hanley only show up in background vocals, and only once apiece. What a gyp. Makes me want to put frogs in Lisa's sleeping bag. If this is meant to tap the nostalgic nerve of those who actually went to camp, it fails. My camp experience was never like this, and I would have tied anyone to a tree if they made me sing 'Home On The Range.' Parents will not enjoy this and I doubt kids will really go for it. Lisa doesn't sound excited or interested - she sounds tired, and slightly aloof of the whole thing...the same way she sounds when singing about men who don't understand her. It's not enough to just appear cutesy, you have to believe it. What happens at camp stays at camp.