Miss Nina: Sha Doo Be Doop

Miss Nina has her heart in the right place when it comes to her latest album, Sha Doo Be Doop. She has songs about well known children’s books such as Where The Wild Things Are, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Good-night. She also covers moments that kids can relate to such as snacking in the car, washing hands, and learning. All great considering the demographic she’s reaching out to. Unfortunately, and I always try and imagine my kids being younger and forcing me to listen to a CD repeatedly, I found the overall execution of the album a bit jarring.

Nina isn’t the strongest songwriter. I can understand what she’s attempting to accomplish, as she’s really speaking to her child audience, but a majority of the songs are simply too repetitive for my liking. I know kids need repetition to learn, but it just doesn’t work here. It makes the songs seem like they’ve reached their peak and are stuck, looking for some new direction that never comes.

Another fault I found with the album is that Nina’s voice isn’t the strongest either. It makes the album sound like a best intentions offering that lacks the polish to make it anything but a personal achievement. True, the substance is there for a kids album, but it never goes beyond hobby.

Kids and parents will still love this album without a doubt. I’ve endured far worse as a parent growing up during the Barney and Psalty the Singing Songbook period, and more then likely they won’t be as critical with the album as I have been. So, as always, final judgment is yours.