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Cath Mundy (of Mundy-Turner, an Aussie-English folk duo)
"Really Fab, Fun, Well Done! What a fabulous cd for children to learn more about Australian culture and I just loved how much respect and admiration it showed for the indigenous culture and people of Australia. ...It makes me feel like I'm back home."
Alicia Karen Elkins www.rambles.net
Wow! What a CD! COoee was a surprise for me, sent from a musician whose work I recently reviewed, Steven Eulber. He had worked some of the sound effects on this CD and felt I would enjoy it. He was absolutely correct. Not only did I enjoy it, my telephone repairman was actually dancing to it (nad he is roughly twenty years older than me, since he came out of the Navy when I was only three). Obviously this CD appeals to all ages.
Cooee is like no other CD you have heard. Aussie storyteller and didjeridoo player, Paul Taylor, teams up with one of Australia's leading children's performers, Don Spencer, to present songs, bush ballads, stories, humor, and Aussie sound effects to entertain every listener. From the traditional Aussie "Tie Me Kangaroo Down" to a lyrical folk song to a 60x "shu-bop" style to a herd of kids, the Kookaburra Kids, rapping and singing behind the lead singer. When I say "heard of kids," I mean 16 kids from Kruse Elementary and Pioneer School in Fort Collins, Colorado. This CD covers all the musical tastes and styles. There is something for everyone.
The stories are, like the songs, of extremely diverse styles. From the sad story of how Taylor's ancestors were shipped to Australia to the mesmerizing folk tale about how the original bird people came to speak different languages to the haunting love tale of the swaggie Joe and Matilda to the hilarious tale of Mulga Bill's first bicycle.
The humor will get you laughing out loud. Paul Taylor explains how to make a didjeridoo. Although he says that you can even pick up the exhaust pipe when it falls off your car and play it, I would not advise trying it. Stick to the PVC pipe.
There is no way to credit all the musicians this CD, 32 from America and Australia, in the standard length review. Suffice it to say that the entire CD is packed with talent stacked upon talent! Likewise, there is no way to select one track as the best or favorite. I sure did identify with "Home Among the Gum Trees" and share the opinion that a home with a veranda in the front, clotheslines out back, and a front porch swing is the ideal life. I love the last song, "Kookaburra Song," where all the kids are doing different parts. I challenge listeners to figure out how many different parts are layered in this song.
This CD is a fascinating look at the Australian culture and heritage. It is educational as well as entertaining and will fascinate all ages. If it can get the telephone repairman and I to rap and dance, imagine what it can do for you! I commend Russ Hopkins, Director of Kiva Records, for releasing this CD. He also plays the guitar and percussion and does vocals in many of the selections.
If I have not convinced you to buy this one already, please consider that the proceeds from this CD go to the Aboriginal People of North Australia, Yidumduma Bill Harney and the Wardaman People. Now, you have a good cause, so order a copy of this marvelous CD today and prepare yourself for just over an hour of the finest entertainment to be found.
E. H. King Country Western Quarterly
"Cooee CD with 20-cuts of educatoin adn the wonderous sounds & songs of Australia. Paul is an acclaimed Aussie story teller and a didjeridoo player. Don is one of Australia's most recognized children's performers on TV. This is a cultural look at the Aussie character through songs, stories and sounds. It honors both the Aboriginal and European roots. I found "Cooee & Lyrbird" the most interesting of all. BUT, check out "Cooee Song" and the lessons never quit. IT's GREAT!
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