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Shakin’ in Chicago
Thaddeus Rex, Inc.; $17.
In the current boom of trendy children’s songsmiths, Thaddeus Rex seems doggedly old-fashioned, with an airily jubilant presence akin to a birthday clown’s and a collection of up-tempo rock songs that never fall short of chirpy. In 2003, the Chicagoan left a regular gig on the PBS show The Friday Zone to concentrate on music, and he has since released a pair of well-received albums. Shakin’ in Chicago, his third, has an amiable, slightly rambling vibe, which downplays the educational elements of his past works in order to concentrate on the silly: say, the eternal quest for a restaurant that serves a much sought-after entrée (“Where Can I Find Green Eggs and Ham?”) or an ode to a funny pet (“Dog Without Fur”). But Rex’s kid-friendly mission statement comes in the track “Don’t Know What This Song Is About”: “I don’t know what this song is about,” he sings. “But with your help we can figure it out!”
—Jay Ruttenberg
