My wife and I first discovered the Putumayo World Music label back in 2003 when they released their FRENCH CAFE compilation. I was still working for the Musicland Group at the time, and I grabbed her a copy to feed into her obsession with all things France. We’d later pick up their ITALIAN MUSICAL ODYSSEY, ITALIAN CAFE, and GREECE: A MUSICAL ODYSSEY collections. Like their tagline states, they’re ”Guaranteed to make you feel good” in their upbeat presentation of selections from around the Globe. Fast-forward nearly a decade, and we’ve got kids, and Putumayo has a Kids label.
Like their traditional releases, the staff at Putumayo carefully selects tracks that work well together as a representation of a certain style or culture. For COWBOY PLAYGROUND, the label goes the Bob’s Country Bunker route to compile a dozen “Country and Western” songs that largely fall into the latter realm, but are all kid-friendly.
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Western music is a slice of Americana that tends to be an under-represented sonic realm that risks being overlooked by new generations as we continue sailing along in the digital seas of suburbia and urban life. COWBOY PLAYGROUND collects and captures that vibe for children to experience and explore, slowing things down for 30 minutes of smooth, foot-tappin’ music that recalls the clear, blue skies and wide-open frontiers of the old west.
You know, I just introduced my daughter to Lincoln Logs for the first time last week, and in that box from my youth lurked one, lonely plastic cowboy from nearly four decades ago…
Today might be a good day to play with the Logs and spin this album again.
“Happy Trails…”
The Rock Father Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
