Search - Various Artists :: Catch a Wave: Beach Songs for Kids

It takes a lot of cowabunga (or something!) to rerecord classic Beach Boys fare, beach or no beach. But the makers of Catch a Wave: Beach Music for Kids can't be denied, even if their thin voices aren't always quite the match for legendary Brian Wilson songs such as "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" and the immortal "In My Room." Still, kid vocalists Tahkus Ekedal, Bernie Steinberg, and Sudhananda give it a big go and manage to capture the spirit and sentiment of these tunes (if not the perfect wave of sound). Surrounded by other Beach Boys stuff, from "Surfin Safari," "Surfer Girl," and "Fun, Fun, Fun" to "Kokomo," "Dance, Dance, Dance" and other summer songs, lie the predictable versions of "Wipe Out," "Little Old Lady from Pasadena," and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," novelty pieces made for surf and sand. If nothing else, hearing these kids cover what could well be the soundtrack for the endless summer, grown-ups will want to dust off their old copies of Beach Boy albums or, better yet, update them to CD. --Martin Keller