Kidz Bop keeps on keeping on with
Kidz Bop 15, which continues the series' typical mix of cleaned-up, kid-sung versions of songs that used to be inappropriate for kids to hear, pleasant-enough songs about relationships that young listeners (hopefully) don't fully understand yet, and a handful of songs it's actually OK to let children sing along with. The collection leads off with a few songs that, for one reason or another, might still not be entirely "kid-friendly." The version of the
Pussycat Dolls' "When I Grow Up" is missing most of the original's sexual swagger, but the fact that the song was originally by a former burlesque troupe might give some parents pause. And even if it's not exactly objectionable, there's something more than a little, well, disturbing about a chorus of kids singing along to
Rihanna's "Disturbia." As the album progresses, however, it relies heavily on covers of songs by the Disney and American Idol stables -- tracks that are already kid- and radio-friendly unit shifters like the
Jonas Brothers' "Burnin' Up,"
Jordin Sparks' "One Step at a Time" and
Miley Cyrus' "7 Things." The only way to make them more for kids than they actually are is to have actual children sing on them, something that
Kidz Bop 15 features more of than previous Kidz Bop volumes did. While having kids sing the lead on these songs might make them more kid-friendly, it also makes them less friendly to a general audience, although a handful of songs here, like
Estelle's "American Boy,"
Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold," and
Taylor Swift's "Love Story," have melodies strong enough that they can withstand the Kidz Bop treatment (meanwhile,
Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody" might actually be better as a rousing kids' song than its original version). Even with a few changes,
Kidz Bop 15 is more or less more of the same. ~ Heather Phares