23 March 2008

OWTK NCAA Kid's Music Tournament - Brady Rymer vs. Stardust Lullaby

Today we head back to the Singin' in the Rain Region for the #1 seed's first round game. Brady Rymer, one of the star's of the kid's music scene, is taking on an upstart double disc set of lullabies from Gene and Cher Kosner.

(1) Brady Rymer "Here Comes Brady Rymer & The Little Band That Could"
I've been listened to and enjoying the fantastic new Brady Rymer disc "The Little Band That Could" for the past few weeks yet when I try to tell others about this record, words continue to fail me. I haven't the slightest clue how to describe the band's straightforward, not-quite classic but certainly not pop-rock sound...so this should be one hell of a review!
What keeps coming to mind, even as a recoil in horror, is Hootie and the Blowfish. Yeah, I know....fairly pedestrian sounding. The thing is, Rymer and his Band That Certainly Can do sound a lot like a mid-nineties mellow rock band that could have been seen gigging at parties, playing the ESPY awards pre-show and appearing on stage at the Peach Pit in a 90210 episode...and you know what? None of that should be seen as a negative...and yes, I'm as surprised as you about that!

This album marks my introduction to Rymer's music so I'm not 100% sure what his records sounded like before he brought his live band into the studio. I can tell you that there are a few gems on this disc, namely "Road Trip", "Pie" and the absolutely charming "One True You" a song that will surely make a parent, especially a new one, tear up a bit. "One True You" should be the runaway favorite for the most used kid's digital picture slideshow background music, should Soundscan ever develop the ability (or need) to track such a thing.

To be perfectly honest, it surprises me how much I enjoy this record. Having my musical roots in sounds far more discordant and, to many around me, stranger than the thirteen mellow gold tunes on "Here Comes Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could" I would not have thought that this disc would have been able to stick but it certainly has. That fact speaks volumes about the power of obviously-passionate, well-written and well-performed music to transcend musical boundaries and resonate with individuals and, in this case, families. With that said, Rymer and his band have done something pretty remarkable on this album. "Here Comes Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could" is a wonderfully classy rock-n-roll album for kids and is destined to be included on many year-end Best-Of lists.

Check out Brady's video for "I Found It" from the 2004 CD from the same name:


vs.

(6) Gene & Cher Klosner "Stardust Lullaby Collection"
The Stardust Lullaby Collection is a double disc set of sweet and timeless lullabies for babies and young toddlers. The collection is strong throughout but is especially good at the top of the first disc (where a gorgeous version of
"Wynken, Blynken and Nod" can be heard)...which is important for parents as those are the tunes you'll be hearing while you put your little one down each evening. Stardust is the product of brother/sister duo Cher and Gene Klosner. Cher has a lovely voice and is the primary vocalist on this set of 42 tunes (half instrumental versions of the songs allowing moms and dads to "take the mic" and sing to their children themselves...a sort of crib-side lullaby karaoke). Amazingly enough, the Klosner's and their Stardust 2xCD was featured on MSNBC's "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch".

Listen to samples of every single song (all 42 of 'em!) here.

Check out the splashy Stardust Lullaby website for some cool extras, including a neat trio of games for kids to play while listening to this soothing music.

Vote for either Brady Rymer or Stardust Lullaby by midnight ET on Wednesday 3/26. Your comments will help decide the winner. Everyone that leaves a comment during the Tournament will have a chance to win the Final Four CDs. Comment on as many "games" as you wish, including the "Very Helpful Songs" vs. "Mr. Oscat Says..." and Thaddeus Rex vs. Gunnar Madsen contests, and increase your odds of winning. Thanks!

48 comments:

Reiza said...

Brady Rymer

Superdumb Supervillain said...

brady rymer...

art-sweet said...

I'll go for the underdog - I love to learn new lullabies!

Anonymous said...

Stardust Lullaby hands down. After listening to their samples on their website, I actually got it for myself. I listen to it daily in my office. It's not just for restless babies (it works for restless adults too :))

Anonymous said...

Love the lullabies!

Anonymous said...

Stardust gets my vote! Those wonderful songs will make for sweet dreams for everybody!

~Tori

Anonymous said...

It's kind of a hard comparison. both are very good doing their own thing. One will rev em up and one will settle them down.

For the one that would be played most often in my house I'd have to go with the nightly lullaby tunes of Stardust.

Katherine

Anonymous said...

I absolutely LOVE Stardust!!! Fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Stardust!

TheOriginalSaltyChix said...

Stardust Lullabies!
Love the website, love the music, my 5 yr old and 3 yr old twins listen to it during the day while practicing ballet. Love it.

Anonymous said...

Stardust wins!! No questions asked. I absolutely LOVE this CD!!!! The music is great! Buy it while you can before they are all sold out.

Anonymous said...

Stardust Lullaby all the way!!!! Jill

Anonymous said...

Oh I LOVE stardust lullaby, it made me cry just listening to the first song. I put all my boys(5) to sleep singing lullaby's to them!

Suzy Goudeau

Anonymous said...

Definately Stardust! Finally a lullaby CD that my whole family can enjoy. I'm hooked!

Mindi

Anonymous said...

Cher has the voice of angel!! Stardust all the way!

Anonymous said...

Stardust all the way! I am getting sleepy just thinking about it...

magenta said...

I vote for Stardust!!

Anonymous said...

I love Cher's voice as do my kids, so my vote is for Stardust!

MamaGames - Alexa C. said...

My vote definitely goes to Brady Rymer on this one!

Unknown said...

That's a tough one! It's hard to compare because I really like both, and they're so totally different! I would have to say overall, the lullaby CD...it's hard to find lullaby music without all the cheesy canned instruments!

Anonymous said...

They are both good, but i have to say Stardust. (It would get more playtime since it would get less on my nerves.)

Anonymous said...

I love Stardust! They have found the perfect music to suit parents and children alike. There aren't a lot of children's cds that I can say I like as much as my children. This one is wonderful!

lace said...

Hard to choose. They are both very different.

I think I will go with Brady because we tend to listen to music more during the day then at night.

Anonymous said...

My vote is for Mr. Oscat!

Unknown said...

Stardust, Stardust, Stardust!!!

Without a doubt, I won a couple CD recently and LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!

Lesley said...

I cast my vote for Stardust. Beautiful music.

Lesley

maeflower said...

I am going to go with stardust

Anonymous said...

Brady Rymer!
stbaisch[at]yahoo[dot]com

Anonymous said...

The Stardust lullabies are absolutely lovely! The orchestrations illustrate the lyrics, creating an evocative set of songs.

Anonymous said...

I have to go with Stardust. The most wonderful feeling in the world is holding your child while she falls asleep. It builds an incredible bond and this music would help to build that bond.

Mom to one beautiful angel

Anonymous said...

Well, I listened and I am going to have to vote for Stardust Lullaby. It is nice to hear lullabys that my children would love and I would love singing and hearing it again and again.

Anonymous said...

I have to go for Brady!

jenniferhuff[at]gmail[dot]com

Boca Beth said...

Went to the site and sampled the music. As a teacher I love the games too. What a winner both in music, voice and the extras available online.

Stardust has our family's vote!

Jenn said...

Stardust baby! My son loves lullabies but many of the CD versions are poorly done or obnoxious, this CD is beautiful for mommy and daddy too!

Anonymous said...

My wife and I absolutely LOVE Stardust. With traditional and new tunes all in one, you get a large variety of peaceful music for your child. Our daughter listens to one of the two CD's every day. All I have to do to get her to sleep now is to sing a verse or two of "How Pretty the Moon." We also love the 'instrument only' tracks. Not only are they masterfully played, but it also helps sooth our child to sleep. Thank you Klosners for this magnificent collection of music!

lchamrick said...

Stardust is my choice. Such sweet songs, and such beautiful voices.

Anonymous said...

It's hard to compare two different types of music--- both are good. But if you are comparing the quality of music for all to enjoy and can be endured for lengthy periods of time, it would be Stardust by far. They have a wonderful blend of harmonies mixed with such rich tones from the instruments they used. I think I will buy one for grandma to sing to my kids too.

Anonymous said...

Stardust has a beautiful blend of harmonies mixed with such nice rich tones from the instruments used. It has my vote. I think I will send one to grandma to sing with my kids too.

Unknown said...

My vote goes to Stardust Lullaby, even both of them are great.

Anonymous said...

I let my 6 year old son vote - he says the Lullaby CD because she sings a lot better and the songs aren't as crazy.

Anonymous said...

Ohmigosh - DEFINITELY Stardust Lullaby! Peace, relaxation, and calm are what we need more of at my house, and Cher and Gene have nailed it!

-Sonya (sono)

Anonymous said...

Brady gets my vote!

Anonymous said...

John says... Stardust!!!! Absolutely beautiful

Anonymous said...

zzzzzz....zzzzzzz.....zzzzzz....
Huh?? Oh yeah, I vote for the lovely lullabies of the Stardust CD....
Okay back to....zzzzz....zzzzz....

Unknown said...

I don't know which I love more: 90's rock or soothing music.

I'm going to go with Stardust, though.

Anonymous said...

Noreen says it's the best!!!

Unca Neill said...

I felt that Stardust was heart warming, gentle, and lovely

Unknown said...

Brady Rymer gets a big thumbs up. Nice, clean rock sound with a good attitude.