Children's singer James K wrote the songs for A Giggle Can Wiggle Its Way Through a Wall while he was recovering from a knee injury, first performing them for his daughter's kindergarten class and receiving positive response. The resulting album is a nice collection of folk-based kids' songs that talk about sharing feelings, telling the truth, friendship, and just enjoying life. K's acoustic guitar is the basis for all of the songs, but he uses other instrumentation to add elements of different styles (country, rock, Hawaiian) to them as well. His voice, which can resemble Cat Stevens', is soothing yet fun, and while many of the songs are quite specifically geared toward the under-ten set ("Chocolate Nut" or his version of "Jenny Jenkins"), some of his other pieces ("She's a Cowgirl," "Ring the Bells," "A Smile Is Forever") could easily be included on an adult folk album. They all have positive messages, of course, but they don't get overly sentimental or preachy, which certainly makes A Giggle Can Wiggle Its Way Through a Wall a nicer listen for parents who can only take nonsense words and rhymes for so long. But K hasn't forgotten his audience, and more than anything else his songs are fun and easy to sing along with. It's a delicate combination that can't always be found in other artists' work, and James K's ability to reach both children and adults makes A Giggle Can Wiggle Its Way Through a Wall a successful record.
© Marisa Brown /TiVo