It's snacktime with barenaked ladies! What will you have?

Children's music shouldn't be stupid, condescending or simplistic. Children are smart and will respond to music that treats them like real people. The Barenaked Ladies get this, probably because almost all of them have children of their own. Snacktime! is an album featuring 24 songs for children, but it's every bit as musically sophisticated as any album they've released for adults. It's also a fun album. Adults can listen to it just as much as children and love it every time.

I started listening to Barenaked Ladies back around 1992 when good friend Voltaire Stax brought them to my attention. I loved the joy, humor and intelligence abundant on their first album, Gordon. They backed it up with every successive release. They were even more fun in person. Voltaire, Mustafa and I have seen them together on three different occasions: twice in Seattle and once in Portland. I still have my Born On a Pirate Ship tour t-shirt. However, I fell behind on their album releases lately, so yesterday I went out and bought their last 4 CDs: Barenaked Ladies Are Me, Barenaked Ladies Are Men, Talk To The Hand: Live In Michigan and Snacktime! I wasn't entirely sure what to make of a BnL children's album, but I shouldn't have worried. It's brilliant.

The subject matter ranges from songs about popcorn to ninjas, fatherhood to frogs, numbers and ABCs. One of the things that makes BnL so much fun is the banter between the band members, and this album delivers. "Crazy ABCs" is sung by Ed Robertson with hilarious running commentary by him and Steven Page. Speaking of Page, he said he had fun making the album, but it wasn't his idea and he was mostly just along for the ride. That didn't stop him from contributing one of the most poignant songs on the album, "Bad Day."

One of the more interesting things about this album is how much of a group effort it is. The band has always been dominated by the two founders, Steven Page and Ed Robertson who do all the singing and nearly all of the songwriting. However, for this release, the other three members of the band have written and sung their fair share of songs as well. Tyler Stewart (drummer), Jim Creegan (bassist) and Kevin Hearn (keyboardist, guitarist, mandolinist, whathaveyouist) all contribute great songs and vocals.