That Baby CD and DVD: Creative and Fun! (A Spectrum of Reviews)

As a parent determining what CDs are appropriate for your children, you don’t want to encourage repetitive jingles that stick in your head and drive you insane. But nor do you want obscene or too-sophisticated lyrics for the young-uns. Adult music can be appreciated by kids, but especially if it is introduced in a kid-friendly and “safe” way.

I am pleased to have had the opportunity to review That Baby CD and That Baby DVD, two products from Rob and Lisi Wolf of OyBaby LLC. The company’s first venture into the world of children’s music was to create the first and only DVDs and CDs made for Jewish babies and kids, OyBaby.

Through the Parent Bloggers Network, I received That Baby CD and That Baby DVD, two non-religious, sway-inducing, smile-producing products. Should I admit that I’ve probably listened to the music more than my kids?

Ask any of my friends and they will nod in agreement when I confess that I am not a big music person. Sure, I love music, but my ability to recognize artists and interpret lyrics is pretty poor. It therefore makes sense that as I pressed “play” on That Baby DVD, the songs that came on weren’t immediately recognizable to me. But little by little, I realized, “Hey, I remember hearing that when…”

(Dare to ask me about how I was disappointed that Natalie Merchant played our Spring Weekend until I actually heard her and realized who she is! Well, “These are Days” is on the CD and DVD.)

Indeed, the songs on That Baby CD and That Baby DVD are acoustic cover versions of popular songs. Thankfully, the CD liner notes provide information about each of the songs: the original artist, history about the song, and notes about the current performance.

The DVD has an extended version of notes, including tidbits about the visual portion of the performances, such as where to buy the puppets shown during “When We Grow Up,” or that the silhouette visual approach for “Pony Boy,” had an unexpected benefit (which you’ll have to read about yourself…)

Of course, at this age, my kids don’t yet know the “history” of the songs, but it will be interesting to share this information as they become more familiar with the CD and DVD. My kids (aged 3 and 6) let out audible, “Cool!” and “Ahhhh!”s when they first saw That Baby DVD. After it was finished, the “More, please!” and, “Again, again!” started.

Since the boys were watching the DVD (over, and over, and over) on our van’s player while we ran errands or drove to hockey games, I didn’t see the visuals for awhile; I only heard the songs.

Well, when I finally saw the swirly art and the laid-back kids strumming the guitar or twirling around, I audibly gasped. This is not like “That Other” video for babies and children. This is much, much cooler. It is much more sophisticated, while remaining kid-friendly; and it is very “artistic.” During one scene, a little boy throws a paper airplane towards the camera. It slowly approaches, then melds with the computer animation in a breathtakingly beautiful way. And the aforementioned silhouette effect for “Pony Boy” is gorgeous and lots of fun. The music is fluid and calming, and the graphics reflect this. The lyrics themselves are positive, with actual meaning.

The songs are wonderful without the graphics, too, which is why That Baby CD (which has a few more tracks than the DVD) is great to have in addition to That Baby DVD.

My kids and I had lots of fun reviewing That Baby CD and That Baby DVD. We are definitely fans. Keep these products in mind when trying to figure out a unique and appreciated gift for the young ones on your holiday list! And I’ll certainly keep my eye out for new products from this creative company.

See their video here: with samples of their music!

There is a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee AND you can get a lifetime replacement on your DVD and/or CD.

Save 20% off with coupon code “PBN”– How wonderful is That!

Kristen will be interviewing Rob on 12/5 from 9-9:30 EST!