Album Review: Ozomatli - Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz

Good news parents – you can finally put away those Wiggles CDs. LA funk/hip hop hybrid Ozomatli have brought their good-time musical melange to topics like trees, germs and skateboarding, with all these tracks geared specifically for children.

Just like everything else they do, they throw a whole lot of instruments into this musical mix. That has to sound pretty exciting if you're just discovering the joys of music, but the best part for adult listeners is that the music still has a lot of the Ozomatli trademarks, even if the lyrics are pretty simple; “Water here, water there, water everywhere” (Water). But the music is full of intricate percussion, bold horns and light melodies. Track We Are Ozokidz even introduces the different members of the band and what they play.

The repetition and simplistic nature of these songs means Ozomatli fans without kids should probably stay clear, and even parents will get sick of this album but it's certainly a worthy alternative for music fans with young kids. It's likely going to be quite different from what most youngsters are currently listening to. Like It's Your Birthday is like a Fisher-Price 'My First Hip Hop' device with its gentle but solid beat and the smooth rap verses, while Exercise is the closest to pure, adult-friendly Ozomatli this album gets thanks to a raucous horn section and that signature sense of pandemonium. But for sheer exuberance, the highlight of this album (so naturally the song to drive parents crazy the quickest) is Moose On The Loose.

Give your kids an early musical class in cool.