Search - Jersey Babys :: The Music Of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons For Kids

For the Young and Young at Heart

Charles P. Alexander | New York City | 04/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got my hands on and listened to the new Rhino release Jersey Babys: The Music of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons for Kids. In fact, I'm listening over and over again as I write this.



In a word, it's delightful. Danielle Gaudio had a terrific idea, and after years of badgering her father Bob Gaudio to help her with the music, she and her brother Shannon Gaudio, a design whiz, have packaged the project brilliantly.



I expected to enjoy it, since I'm a sucker for anything remotely related to FV4S, even a kids' instrumental album. But I didn't really expect to enjoy it so much. It has a tremendous variety of sounds and tempos. What could have been monotonous is relentlessly surprising and a lot of fun. In its own way, it is as beautiful as any of the other FV4S instrumental albums. It will do at least as much for young brains, and mature brains, as Mozart.



I will leave it to others more musically adept to describe the sounds. The 4 Seasons were renowned for using claps, stomps and other non-standard homemade noises. This album carries that tradition to new heights. There are plenty of chimes, clock tick-tocks and what sounds like penny whistles and kazoos. The only instruments credited are the magical keyboards of Robby Robinson. If that's all he used, he must have the most versatile keyboards in creation.



The first thing you notice about the track list is that these are all Gaudio songs. Hmmm. Ms. Gaudio, the Executive Producer, seems to be exhibiting some bias here. We should all have children so proud and loyal.



I don't know, though, how effective this album will be in getting kids to sleep. It never gets into a rut. Mixed in with the beautiful slower numbers are much livelier ones. "Short Shorts" is a riot, and I particularly love the very creative arrangement of "Who Loves You." The only suggestion I would have made to Messrs Robinson and Gaudio is that they speed up the tempo of "Dawn (Go Away)," since it is placed between the also-slow "Silence is Golden" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." (There. With that negative comment, this qualifies as a real review instead of a love letter.)



You can see the influence of the play Jersey Boys, and not just in the cover design. Like the play, Jersey Babys begins and ends with December 1963 "Oh, What a Night." There's "Cry For Me," not well known until Jersey Boys, and "Short Shorts," not technically a FV4S song, but why nitpick? There's even the new Jersey Boys ending to "Walk Like a Man," which was not on the original record.



But I'm thrilled that the album didn't just follow slavishly the Jersey Boys formula for success. Instead of including "Big Man in Town" and "Beggin'," which are among the highlights of Jersey Boys, the producers changed up with three of "The Ones That Got Away": "Ronnie," "Save It For Me" and "Silence is Golden." These are three of the most gorgeous melodies Bob Gaudio ever wrote, and they are done gorgeously on this album.



They will help Jersey Boys fans realize that the play barely scratches the surface of 4 Seasons' great catalog. Surely the kids weaned on Jersey Babys will need to hear all the original recordings by age 2 or 3 at the latest.



I close with the words of "Barry Belson, WCFA Radio": "What can I say? I LOVE THIS RECORD!!!"



Congratulations to everyone involved, Charles Alexander"

For Adults, Too!

J.C. Clark | 04/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Four Seasons Meet Baby Einstein. The arrangements are full of all kinds of inventive, quirky keyboard effects. Some of the songs have a lightly percolating, bouncy feel, while others are slow and dreamy. If there is a Heaven, this is some of the music I would expect to hear there.



The target audience is babies, but there is something of a New Age feel that many adults will appreciate. It is good music with which to chill out, do yoga, or meditate to.

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Great Easy Listening and Orchestrations, and NOT JUST FOR KI

Howard J. Tucker | Staten Island, NY USA | 04/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD makes for wonderful background music in the office, keeps me company on my long car rides, and is ideal for parties where the CD will be a conversation starter, yet allow everyone to hear everyone else speak. Robby Robinson is an absolute genius and has been with Frankie Valli for decades. Kudos to Danielle Gaudio for a marvelous effort and great liner notes. Most thrilling for me is that "Cry for Me", actually made famous in "Jersey Boys" is included.



I am so hoping Danielle comes out with Volume 2, as I'm longing for comparable great orchestrations on my other Frankie Valli and Four Seasons favorites "Candy Girl," "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore," "Tell it to the Rain," "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Connie-O", "Stay", and (pretty please, Danielle Gaudio) "Watch the Flowers Grow"!









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