Lost Songs Of Kenland
Parent’s Choice Approved;
Parent’s Guide To Children’s Media Recommended.
The Lost Songs Of Kenland inhabits a pop-fantasy world that Lennon & McCartney would have recognized; in some ways, it’'s like Sgt. Pepper’'s for kids. Lost Songs’' multi-layered-but-controlled production values, colorful imagery, affection for old-fashioned showmanship and feel for the light and dark sides of a kid’'s inner world make it a young American cousin to the Fab Four'’s masterpiece. —
--- Maureen Gerarden, Isthmus
Dear Ken Lonnquist, I really like your CD 'Lost Songs Of Kenland'. I am six. My favorite song is '“In The Jungle'”.
--- Charles Mooney, Colchester, U.K.
My wife and I also like your CD a lot. It is great to hear a kids CD with a bit of swing and words that don’'t make you puke.
--- Chris Mooney, Colchester, U.K.
29 songs, including:
Sunny Side Up
Something in the Bathroom
Who Are You?
Alligator Rag (Don’t Get Caught With Your Pants Down)
Rhino
Say Please!
Gentle Wind
A Very Special Day
Kengos Bongos
Natalie
Cinders And Cinderbugs
Princess And The Pea
Doin’' The Dishes
Makin'’ Bacon
My Mother’'s Snoring
A Little Dreamin’'
In The Jungle
Monkey Talk
The Dolphins And The Mermaid
Boogedy Blues
Zinger
The Girl And Mister Moon
Dagger
Beboppadoodleyoppa
Backwards!
Just Like You
Barefoot Blues
Chasing After Moonbeams
Music Review
By Maureen Girarden, Isthmus / Spring, 1998
Ken Lonnquist gets a lot of inspiration from the Beatles. The Lost Songs of Kenland inhabits a pop fantasy world that Lennon and McCartney would have recognized; in some ways, its like Sgt. Pepper's for kids.
Once I hit on this theory, it was fun to take it to extremes. For instance, the elementary existentialism of Who Are You? corresponded to Within You Without You, and the barnyard lovesong Makin' Bacon was the G-rated version of Lovely Rita. Okay, thats a stretch, but intentionally or un, Lost Songs' multilayered-but-controlled production values, colorful imagery, affection for old-fashioned showmanship and feel for the light and dark sides of a kids' inner world make it a young American cousin to the Fab Fours masterpiece.
All comparison aside, will the rug rats like it? I think so. It's fast-paced enough to get through to the most Nintendo-ized attention span, yet has room for pensive lyrical interludes like Gentle Wind and Chasing After Moonbeams. It also touches on (and sometime subverts) themes that most kids will identify with, including birthdays, household chores and imaginary monsters under the bed. There's a variety of colorful animal characters, a spirited retelling of The Princess and the Pea and a little criticism of the older generation (My Mother's Snoring), plus some just-plain-nonsense (Beboppadoodleyoppa).
When moral uplift appears it's usually humorous or subtle, if not literally submerged, as in The Dolphins and the Mermaid, which encourages empathy in spite of differences, or Backwards, which celebrates a forward-looking attitude. The only song that goes too far in the blatant-message department is the plea for peace Just Like You, which is laudable in theory, but facile and heavy-handed in practice. Still, it's the exception to the rule, which is fun, fun, fun.
A large cast of seasoned area musicians supports the record, including bassist Jeff Eckels, Celtic harper Candace Kreitlow, Dane Richeson on percussion and Doug Brown on slide guitar, banjo and fiddle. Vocals by youngsters Ellie Feitlinger, Erika Gotcher and Holly Hafermann are neither slick, off-key nor cloying.
The Lost Songs of Kenland makes it clear that since writing these lyrics over 12 years ago, Lonnquist hasnt lost a jot of his child-like exuberance.
The Lost Songs Of Kenland
By Rich Novotney, UBS For Kids, June, 1998.
For Ken Lonnquist fans out there, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news? Two of his earliest musical cassettes for children, Kengos Bongos and A Little Dreamin' are out of print! But the good news, as you might guess, is that Ken has digitally re-recorded the lion's share of both cassettes and put them on one long-playing CD!
The Lost Songs of Kenland includes new versions of every cut of Kengos Bongos and most of A Little Dreamin'. These songs, in their original incarnations, were recorded on four-track cassette recorders in living rooms and maybe even garages. Yes, I will always embrace a nostagic love for these old tunes---the old versions are spare and winsome. These new takes on the old tunes get the full studio treatment and employ a host of excellent talent in the way of shining background vocals and a veritable symphony of extra instruments (like harmonicas, xylophones, and a Celtic harp).
Most special, for this reviewer, at least, are the new versions of: My Mother's Snoring, which is wilder than ever; Just Like You, still one of the best and sweetest anti-war songs Ive ever heard; and Ken's most beautiful song, The Dolphins and the Mermaid, which is as enchanting as the first version, but now enhanced with Candy Kreitlow's Celtic harp. There are plenty of other gems here.
Finally, did I mention that the CD's sleeve art is really cool? Complete lyrics and loads of artwork enclosed.
A word to the wise: with the release of this third kid's CD, Ken has written and recorded an impressive collection of uplifting, lyrical children's music, and it won't be long (so this humble reviewer predicts) before Ken's fame will spread... and he will soon be taking his music to the country-at-large. This is a golden time: Grab the opportunity now to take your children to hear Ken perform live while he's still just a local guy.
