This second album featuring Ralph Covert is as much of a treat as the first. The winning formula on the debut album (simply titled Ralph's World) is carried over to At the Bottom of the Sea: a sumptuous range of musical styles, delightfully creative lyrics, and a warm, natural delivery that is at the same time upbeat and infectious. Diverse musical styles are featured, including pop, blues, swing, and folk. The lyrics are humorous on two levels, managing to keep both children and adults entertained at once.
The songs offer both useful facts and inspired goofiness. In "Surfin in My Imagination", children are encouraged to imagine along with Ralph as he "hits the beach in my bedroom" and exclaim "yo, dude!" as they go surfing in their minds. "Eighteen Wheels on a Big Rig" is fantastic. Ralph counts all the way up to 18, and then back again. One can only imagine how fun it is when he even "counts" up to 18 in Roman Numerals.
Children's voices in the recording add enormous value and support to the songs. In one, Ralph talks to kids about the "existentialism" in the song, "Itsy Bitsy Spider", with adorable results. Children who own a pet cat will love "Malcolm McGillikitty", a song about a cat who is thought to be psychic for all of the regular "cat things" he does; and anyone with a sense of fun will enjoy singing aloud to "The Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song)". In "Tickle a Tiger", Ralph plays with alliteration as he sings about animals ("lick a lion", and "kiss a kangaroo"), sure to "tickle" preschoolers and delight parents at the same time.
Ralph's World: At the Bottom of the Sea is, on the whole, a little more hyper than, say, Raffi or Hap Palmer, but it is never frenetic or annoying. In fact, Ralph is just as adept at delivering songs that speak to the heart as he is at creating songs that get kids laughing and dancing. A Classroom Activity Guide for preschool through grade 3 is available online at the Mini Fresh web site.
This diverse recording appeals to all ages, and makes a fantastically fun addition to every family's music collection.
