ORANGE SHERBET‘s DELICIOUS is a cool record. That was my response after listening to the title track and album opener of the new album from this San Francisco Bay Area trio. Set for release on May 15th, the little one and I have been spinning DELICIOUS here at Rock Father HQ for a couple of months already, but I wanted to wait until we were closer to release date to post any thoughts on it. The reason? So that you’d remember to buy it. DELICIOUS is tasty.
That opening track brings a jazz vibe that reminds me specifically of some tracks on the first NELLIE McKAY album, which is a prime example of how a new-school kid’s album can tap into the adult mind by sonically eluding to stuff you already like. It could also be a complete accident, and wholly unintentional. Check out a little background via this Kickstarter “Pitch” video (the CD was fully-funded last month):
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What’s interesting with ORANGE SHERBET is that they’re another band that combines music with a love of gardening – a prime fit with The Rock Father, and a reason that this album almost wound up being featured on my gardening blog instead. DELICIOUS is a 17-song tribute to locally-grown foods, farmers’ markets, and the changing of seasons.
The seasonal interludes – Springtime, Summertime, Fall, Winter – are little standalone jams that just feel like the kind of transitional interludes that used to be featured in children’s programming years ago, but are completely lacking right now. If you’re a thirtysomething like me, chances are you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you see this:
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Takes me back to PINWHEEL on Nickelodeon, with some SESAME STREET and ELECTRIC COMPANY action. In fact, it’s artists like ORANGE SHERBET and THE POP UPS (among others) that should be soundtracking the ‘Street, Nickelodeon, and Sprout in 2012.
I get a little bit of a SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS vibe from “Who” and “Honey Bee,” and a little SANTANA on “Rice and Beans.” While there’s these little allusions to things a listener may already enjoy, ORANGE SHERBET does it in a way that sounds original. Lyrically, this album is prime for some sort of visual companion.
The endgame? DELICIOUS is one of my favorite family-friendly records this year, and one that I recommend you seek out.
“LIKE” Orange Sherbet on Facebook. Seriously, they only have 86 as of this writing, and that’s completely unacceptable.
Oh, what does the little one think of it? She’d digs it very much. “This sounds good, Daddy.”
The Rock Father Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars.
FTC Disclosure: A compact disc version of this album was provided to The Rock Father for the purpose of review consideration.
