Country Goes Raffi

1	The Bowling Song / Asleep at the Wheel 2:29
2	Down by the Bay / Eric Heatherly 2:51
3	Baby Beluga / Billy Gilman 2:43
4	Blessed Be / Alison Krauss 3:26
5	Blue White Planet / Raffi 3:11
6	Apples and Bananas / Keith Urban 2:46
7	Naturally / Marty Stuart 3:04
8	All I Really Need / The Wilkinsons 2:53
9	Rise and Shine / Lee Roy Parnell 2:57
10	Bananaphone / Rhonda Vincent 3:01
11	Shake My Sillies Out / Lari White 2:18
12	Thanks a Lot / Raul Malo 2:40
13	This Little Light of Mine / Elizabeth Cook 2:54
14	One Light One Sun / Kathy Mattea 2:16

Barnes & Noble

The good folks at Rounder records have assembled a remarkable cast of A-list country performers to pay tribute to the king of playschool pop -- Raffi. It's a given that Raffi's funny and heartfelt songs will connect with kids, so the big news here is that this truly happy hoedown features so many adult-friendly performances. Of course, twang-lovin' toddlers come first here, and a gentle romp through the Raffi anthem "Baby Beluga" by underage sensation Billy Gilman will be a surefire hit on the sandbox hit parade. But there are plenty of other gems from slightly older stars, most notably a soothing turn from the brilliant Alison Krauss on "Blessed Be," an organically rockin' "Naturally" from Marty Stuart, and, best of all, a delightful, swinging version of Raffi's "Bannaphone" by the bluegrass queen Rhonda Vincent. Raffi himself gives a fiddle-flavored effort with the new "Blue White Planet" -- a song whose environmentally aware spirit is, like the rest of this collection, hard to beat. Seth Kaufman

All Music Guide

Long respected as a children's music singer/songwriter, Raffi's work is celebrated and interpreted by adults (and one kid) on Country Goes Raffi, a collection featuring the Wilkinsons, Rhonda Vincent, and Eric Heatherly's performances of their favorite Raffi songs. Asleep at the Wheel takes "The Bowling Song" in a mellow, Western swing direction that manages to be fun and sophisticated at the same time; Raul Malo's version of "Thanks a Lot" is equally playful, in a quietly Latin-tinged way; and Marty Stuart adds a twangy bluegrass tinge to "Naturally." The collection also features traditional children's songs that also happen to be Raffi favorites, such as "Apples and Bananas" (performed here by Keith Urban) and "This Little Light of Mine" (sung with a playful twist by Elizabeth Cook), as well as two of his new compositions: "Blessed Be," a touching lullaby sung by Alison Krauss, and the eco-friendly "Blue White Planet," performed by Raffi himself. Lee Roy Parnell's poignant "Rise and Shine" and Lari White's appropriately goofy "Shake My Sillies Out" are some of the tribute's other highlights, along with Billy Gillman's cute rendition of "Baby Beluga"; it seems apt that a country music tribute to one of children's music's leading lights features a country music star who's also young enough to be a Raffi fan. Charming and surprisingly eclectic, Country Goes Raffi should please kids and parents alike. Heather Phares