Before I was given the opportunity to share Ozomatli‘s new album OzoKidz I had never heard of the celebrated Los Angeles culture mashers. Given that I’m buried deep in the Mitten State that’s not to big of a surprise (that would be Michigan for all you who are wondering what in the world I was talking about).
Thankfully both my kids and I can now enjoy Ozomatli’s mish-mosh of musical genres. They somehow manage to meld hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga into their own unique sound that really works.
OzoKidz is their first family-friendly release for kids and it was instantly a hit at our house. The first day we opened the CD I was able to trick my girls into picking up the living room with the promise that: “If you pick up you can listen to ‘Moose On the Loose’ again.”
While “Moose On the Loose” is still their favorite song from the album, they can easily sing along with each and every track. Each song is information based and they use the music to tell some great stories while teaching your kids.
For example, “Trees” is all about how trees grow and how photosynthesis works and “Germs” helped Miss M learn that not all germs are bad (i.e. bacteria).
The CD released yesterday (Sept. 25, 2012) and with it they started the OzoKidz Chalk Art Contest! If you purchase the new OzoKidz CD at a participating independent record store you will receive a FREE OzoKidz chalk box which contains a link to the bonus track, “Vamos a Cantar.”
Check here for the complete details on what the contest entails and how to enter. The winner will receive an OzoKidz prize pack and what’s not to love about that?
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OzoKidz :: $9.99 from iTunes or Amazon.com but don’t forget, you can get that bonus track if you visit a participating independent record store!
*The products in this review was provided to me for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed are my own*
