Country-punk trailblazer
Jason Ringenberg returns to his family-friendly alter ego of
Farmer Jason for his second album of music for kids (and their parents, of course). While the first
Farmer Jason disc was built around the theme of a day on the farm,
Rockin' in the Forest with Farmer Jason features 11 songs about the things you might find on a hike in the woods, mostly critters such as toads, butterflies and opossums, though
Jason also celebrates Native-American culture on "Arrowhead," and the rich history of the wilderness with "The Old Oak Tree." While
Rockin' in the Forest features a bit more educational and/or philosophical content than the first album,
Jason is smart enough to know it's best to keep things light and fun, and most of the songs are playful tunes with singalong choruses and an engaging air of silliness, especially "Punk Rock Skunk," "The Catfish Song," and "He's a Moose on the Loose" (the latter featuring guest vocals from
Todd Snider). Parents with a taste for alt-country will dig the revved-up "Possum in a Pocket" (especially the "mistake" on the harmonica solo) and kids who enjoy actually going out into the great outdoors will enjoy all of it; this is children's music that doesn't talk down to its audience and offers smart and engaging entertainment for all its listeners without trying to sell anything (a pleasant surprise in "family" entertainment these days). ~ Mark Deming