"Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul" – The title says it all, soul and funk from kids. The songs are all from the 60s and 70s and range in style from sweet soul ballads, to Jackson 5-esque pop, to serious funk. Some songs use a full band with the kids just on vocals, and others have the kids in the band. Check out the extensive liner notes for more details. Some songs are completely amazing while others are sort of silly, but all are worth checking out. A great compilation of rare and unknown songs. FCC clean (come on, these are kids)
My Picks: 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 14
Katie P. 10/4/07

1)Starts with a solid funky groove. Drums, organ, and guitar. Spoken female vocals (pre-rap maybe?). Nice horn section too. Great lyrics and fun funky midtempo song.
2)Wah-wah guitar and a laid-back midtempo beat. Harmonized female vocals has a bit of a Jackson 5 sound to it with a kid theme to the lyrics.
3)Super funky wah-wah guitar and some organ as well. Kids singing about different dances. Cute and fun. Sound quality is not so good, it's raw and rough, but still great in a weird way.
4)Slower soul ballad. Male lead vocals (I think he's 9) with a very young Michael Jackson sound. Harmonized backup vocals. Grab your sweetie and slow dance.
5)Slow ballad with a little boy on lead vocals. Weird sad lyrics about his mom. Harmonized backup vocals with simple guitar, bass, and drums. The flute is a nice touch. The vibrato on the vocals is a bit annoying.
6)A bunch of kids singing about school starting. Cute bells along with bass, organ, and drums. Bouncy and fun. Feels like a less polished Jackson 5, but that almost makes it a little better being a little rough around the edges.
7)Very lo-fi recording with little boys singing about the new dance sensation (the Jersey Slide). Surprisingly enough I don't think this one caught on... Although the song is hilarious because there is a lot of little kids yelling and squealing.
8)Soul that is almost trying to be a bit disco, but not quite. Female vocals with a full band of piano, drums, bass, and horns. Song about school being over and what will happen to their love now.
9)Wah-wah guitar with a solid driving beat. A bunch of kids singing backup. Can't tell if the lead vocalist is a girl or boy. Political lyrics sung by little kids, can't beat it!
10)Slow soul ballad with little boy vocals. He sometimes goes a little off key making this very odd.
11)Starts slow and super lowdown funky. Male vocals. Whoa! Yes, it's one of the most bizarre covers of “Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round That Ole Oak Tree” I have ever heard. Super funky at times and also really poppy when it hits the chorus. It kind of makes you cringe, but it's so weird.
12)Uptempo and funky. Great mix of vocals. Fun funky pop that is simple and super catchy.
13)Slower soul pop. Solid horns and nice harmonized female vocals. Simple song about getting your heart broken.
14)Soooo funky!! The oldest is 11 on guitar, with his younger sisters playing organ and drums. Seriously good instrumental with some random shouting in the background. Wow!!
15)Faster midtempo soul pop. Young male vocals with harmonized backup vocals. Fun and bouncy.
16)Slower soul pop. Male vocals with layered backup vocals. Feels a bit more produced and slick with a lot of reverb on the vocals and a full sound.
17)Slower soul. Layered guitars and organ. Harmonized vocals with male vocals out front for the verses.