You Are My Little Bird

by Elizabeth Mitchell

Overview

Most commercial children's music seems to be made under the assumption that youngsters are incapable of appreciating subtlety and need to be aurally slapped about the face with melodic and lyrical repetition in order to make sense of what they're hearing. Elizabeth Mitchell is an educator and musician who thankfully knows better; as the lead singer with Ida, she's been lending her lovely voice to folk-leaning indie rock for years, and in recent years she's been displaying the same intelligence and playful joie de vivre on a handful of recordings for children. You Are My Little Bird is Mitchell's third album for kids, recorded with help from Daniel Littleton (her husband and bandmate in Ida) as well as His Name Is Alive's Warren Defever, and it's a sweet, simple gem, as warm and joyous as a clear spring day. Mitchell's notion of what makes a children's song may be a bit different than those of most folks, since You Are My Little Bird includes covers of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On" and Neil Young's "Little Wing," but there's an engaging simplicity and humanity to this music that should easily charm both kids and adults, and "Little Liza Jane," "Buckeye Jim" and "Grassy Grass Grass" are folk tunes that make perfect singalongs, regardless of the age of the audience. The arrangements on You Are My Little Bird are primarily acoustic and purposefully low-key, and they allow the melodies of these songs to shine through, and Mitchell's singing is elegant, unforced, and a thoroughly natural pleasure to behold. The quieter moments of this album are ideal for evening play or bedtime, and if you're looking for a disc that will soothe all members of the family during a long car ride, this album is just what you've been looking for. Some parents will doubtless find themselves borrowing You Are My Little Bird from their offspring to play for their own pleasure -- it's an album almost magical in its enchanting simplicity, and should be welcome listening even in homes without any little ones about. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	08/29/2006
Label:	SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS
UPC:	0093074506325

Tracks

1. Little Liza Jane
2. Who's My Pretty Baby
3. Zousan (Little Elephant)
4. Little Bird, Little Bird
5. Three Little Birds
6. What Goes On
7. Pom Na Tu Ri (Springtime Outing)
8. Buckeye Jim
9. Peace Like a River
10. Los Pollitos
11. Winter's Come and Gone
12. Little Wing
13. Lily Pond
14. The North Wind
15. If You Listen
16. Down in the Valley
17. Grassy Grass Grass

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Elizabeth Mitchell   Primary Artist,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Lead Vocals
Athena Miros   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Daniel Littleton   Banjo,Drums,Viola,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonium,Percussion
Dan Littleton   Banjo,Drums,Viola,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonium,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Organ (Hammond)
Jean Cook   Violin,Vocals
Miggy Littleton   Vocals,Percussion
John Sebastian   Autoharp,Harmonica
Annika Enzien   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Charlotte "Coco" Constan   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Fenner Osmond Friedman   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Gabi Geujon   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Hermina Littleton   Vocals
Kirsten Jacobson   Flute,Vocals
Storey Littleton   Guitar,Vocals
William "Boogie" Constan   Vocals,Percussion
Warren Defever   Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

D.A. Sonneborn   Production Supervisor
Elizabeth Mitchell   Arranger,Producer,Performer,Song Notes,Audio Production
Micky Jones   Composer
Ida Pearle   Artwork
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
Carla Borden   Editorial Assistant
Anna Vaquera Vasquez   Photography
Hugh Musick   Liner Notes
Sonya Cohen Cramer   Design,Layout Design
Warren Defever   Audio Production,Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Audio Engineer
Pete Reiniger   Mastering,Remastering,Sound Supervision
Neil Young   Composer
Mickey Jones   Composer
Gillian Welch   Composer
Woody Guthrie   Composer
Anthony Seeger   Liner Notes
Tommy Brown   Composer
Happy Traum   Liner Notes
Dan Sheehy   Production Supervisor
Justin Guip   Engineer,Audio Engineer
Bob Marley   Composer
Vashti Bunyan   Composer
David Rawlings   Composer
Lou Reed   Composer