One great thing about Laurie Berkner is that she mixes originals like "Victor Vito" with classics like "The Cat Came Back." To be fair, covers are the exception with this band, which prefers to showcase the exceptional writing talents of Berkner. Consider songs like "I Really Love to Dance," which is about exactly what its title suggests, and will have kids leaping off the couch to get their groove on, before the end of the second bar of music. Other songs like "I'm Not Perfect" and "I'm a Mess" remind us a bit of that classic Mercer Mayer character, Little Critter, whose troublesome tendencies end up as amusing parables for kids. Berkner pokes fun at herself, as a character in situations that immediately resonate to parents and young audiences. Capturing the parents is all about creating music that doesn't grate nerves, and The Laurie Berkner Band is anything but grating. She uses amplification and rhythm like a pop singer, keeping things saccharine but imminently singable. Kids will find these songs quotable, thanks to patterns and repetition in songs like "Fast and Slow" and "Five Days Old."
Let's Hear It For The Laurie Berkner Band! is great for that seat-back DVD player in the car, on long or short trips. It's filled with material that will make for good sing-a-longs, and there are a few songs that play well in the living room, where kids have plenty of space to run and dance. More than anything else, the video setting is used to enhance the music, showcasing Berkner and her band having a great time surrounded by kids. There are some artsy video moments contained here, but all in good taste. If nothing else, it's a 44-minute babysitter for kids, plenty of time for most parents to grab a shower or eat a meal. The problem with this scenario is that parents may find themselves lingering in the room, hooked on Berkner's infectious sense of fun. Compare this to many other kid-focused groups that tend to drive parents screaming out of the room...Let's Hear It For The Laurie Berkner Band, indeed!
