Ever since I made my list of "Grownup" Songs Your Kids Will Love, I wanted to make a converse list of "kid" material that grownups would love. The problem is that I hadn't heard that many kids' albums. A year after making my own first family album, and with two three-year-olds at home always hungry for new music, I've now heard a whole lot more.

This is not a year's best list (many of these albums came out pre-2010). It's just an our year's best list. And my girls and I will win no awards for our comprehensive research skills. We stumbled across most of these albums — some were given to me, some were at our local library, a few we actually looked for and bought. And, finally, you'll see that I'm pretty biased in my tastes. I lean heavily toward rootsy material, though there's plenty of quality pop out there for kids too. I am aware that my kids will inevitably punish me for this by becoming co-presidents of the whatever-the-2020-equivalent-is-of Brittany Spears fan club when they're 13. But, for now, my wife and I get to choose (most of) what they're exposed to. Mwaaaa Haaaa Haaaa!

All that said, without further ado, and in no particular order, here's the list:

1. Grenadilla, Grenadilla (2010)
Songwriter and lead singer Debbie Lan comes from Cape Town, South Africa, and her music is infused with the joyous sounds of Kwela. Penny-whistle, sparkling guitars, and rich, luxurious vocal arrangements make this album shine. I can honestly say I've listened to this one many times when there were no kids in sight... Favorite Tracks: Got Light, Arabella Angelique


2. Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Ranky Tanky (2010)
This album won top honors from all the major family music awarding bodies this year (NAPPA, Parents' Choice, etc) and it deserved all the praise it received. Daisy Mayhem is one of the best American roots bands working these days, and their first family album is everything it promised to be — fun, tight, musically impressive, and... um... really fun... Favorite Tracks: They All Ask'd For You, Tinny


3. Peter Himmelman, My Green Kite (2007)
Himmelman has been an accomplished rocker for many years, often compared to heady writers like Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson. His family albums (he's put out several since 1997) are smart, funny, and melodic. The arrangements are thick with guitars and horns and nothing has been simplified musically, yet the tunes do not overwhelm like some of the heavily-arranged kid-pop tunes around these days... Favorite Tracks: My Feet, Baseball Tips with Professor Buckley


4. The Nields, All Together Singing in the Kitchen (2007)
The Nields' music generally leans toward the pop-ier end of the folk spectrum. But, for their first family CD, they went a more traditional route — both in terms of the material they chose and how they present it. The album is a leisurely ramble through some of the songs they (and I, and many of you young-ish parents out there) grew up on, and the recording was a real family affair. One of the great pleasures of the CD is hearing Katryna and Nerissa harmonize with their father's warm, weathered voice on several of the tracks... Favorite Tracks: Going to the Zoo, Hi Ho the Rattlin' Bog


5. Little Mo' McCoury, Little Mo' McCoury (2007)
If you know bluegrass at all, you know the McCoury family. Father Del played guitar and sang lead in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo) are two of contemporary bluegrass's best on their respective instruments. This is Ronnie's project, but the whole family is in on it, including the next generation of little McCourys. I've always thought bluegrass is great for kids just as is — the energy of the music bridges whatever divide the lyrics may not — but this album clearly has a special appeal, at least for my little ones.... Favorite Tracks: You've Got a Friend in Me, Monkey and the Engineer


6. Session Americana, Table Top People Vol. 1 (2005)
Session Americana is a loose collective of talented Boston musicians. Table Top People, their first (double) album, was an impressive mix of originals and covers. It was to their artistic credit that they refused to distinguish between music for kids and adults, but it probably wasn't brilliant marketing given that a couple of the songs had what some parents would consider grownup themes. They recently re-packaged the album, and Volume 1 is now the more traditionally "family friendly" one. I would highly encourage you to buy both volumes, but you should at least check this one out... Favorite Tracks: Floppy Tulips (Rose Polenzani), Mr. Rabbit (Sean Staples)


7. Sing Along with Putamayo (2004)
Speaking of brilliant marketing, Putamayo Kids rules the roost. You can't find a toy store or kids' section of a bookstore these days that doesn't have their display by the counter. Generally speaking, I don't trust brilliant marketers. But one after another, Putamayo's collections of world music for kids proves the quality of this company. They simply find the best stuff out there and put it together in the right ways. This one is an American music collection, but all of the various world collections are great... Favorite Tracks: Old MacDonald Had a Farm (Part 2) (Rufus Thomas), You Are My Sunshine (Elizabeth Mitchell)


8. Billy Jonas, Happy Accidents (2009)
Billy Jonas is funny. Very funny. And that's a hard thing to be, especially when you're playing to a wide range of ages. My girls immediately latched on to his Knock Knock song and started coming up with their own knock knock jokes (pretty much their first attempts at formal joke telling)... Knock knock. Who's there? Elephant. Elephant who? The elephant is silly!... Yes, yes he is. And so is Billy Jonas. In the very best ways... Favorite Tracks: Knock Knock, One Tutu Too Many


9. Mark Erelli, Innocent When You Dream (2007)
I've been pushing my friend Mark Erelli to make an all-out family CD for several years now. I've seen what he can do with material for young people, and know he has an amazing album in him. But, until my campaign succeeds, we'll have to content ourselves with this album of lullabies he made in 2007. Performed (mostly) solo in his home studio in the wee hours when his infant son was sleeping, this is a tried and true collection from a talented musician and new dad who had had good reason to figure out what it takes to bring on the baby slumber... Favorite Tracks: Innocent When You Dream, Alright For Now (with Jeffrey Foucault)


10. Dan Zanes, Catch That Train (2006)
What can you say about Dan Zanes that hasn't already been said? He is the king of the modern indie-kid music movement, and has the awards to prove it (this album won a Grammy). He deserves the accolades — he really did raise the bar for family music. He has shown that it's possible to play sophisticated music for kids that adults can enjoy too. More important from my point of view, he has helped introduce a new generation of American kids to our shared musical heritage... Favorite Tracks: Walkin' the Dog, Welcome Table (with The Blind Boys of Alabama)

I've spent a good deal of my career as a musician trying to find ways to knock down artificial barriers between musical genres — particularly between genres of American roots music. So naturally, when I had kids, I brought that same destructive impulse to the music we listen to together.

Parents of young kids know how hard it can be to find music that a) is loved by their kids and b) doesn't lead grownups to jump out of windows. Thankfully, there has been a resurgence in recent years of sophisticated, largely independently produced, music for kids that parents can dig too. Nationally, folks like Dan Zanes and Elizabeth Mitchell have paved the way. Here in the Boston area, friends of mine like Rani Arbo and Session Americana have done the same. I've tried to follow suit in my own work for kids. All of us owe a debt to pioneers like Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly who were breaking down barriers between genres and age groups years ago.

But, lest you think you need to go out and revamp your entire kids music collection, know that it works the other way too. On your shelf right now is a whole lot of "grownup" music that you may be surprised to find your kids love as well. It may take some experimenting to find what sticks — and you may be surprised by some of the results — but it's well worth the effort. More music that you and your kids can listen to together means more time well spent together. Your kids will thank you in the long run for broadening their horizons beyond "Baby Beluga," and you'll find yourself jumping out of many fewer windows.

Here, then, is a list of "grownup" songs that my own kids and I love, in no particular order...

1. Gone Gone Gone (Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss)
My girls refer to it as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, in reference to a favorite book. The details of how this title came about are a bit arcane and confusing in that labyrinthine way of toddler logic, but it's an entirely apt title for this bass heavy, melodious entry, equal parts Bo Diddley and heavenly choir.


2. Amos Moses (When You're Hot, You're Hot, Jerry Reed)
You could argue that the subject matter — gator trapping adventures of a swamp amputee — is not quite age appropriate for the toddler set. But this minor drawback is easily offset by the fact that this is the single most badass fun song ever recorded. I grew up on it and I turned out... well, it's still an amazing song.


3. Salt Peanuts (Shaw Nuff, Dizzy Gillespie)
Two small words are all it takes to transform sophisticated instrumental beebop into children's music classic. Bet your kids figure out when to shout it out before you do.


4. Steve's Hammer [For Pete] (Washington Square Serenade, Steve Earle)
When my wife and I finally, after thousands of listenings, decided we needed a break from Gone Gone Gone, I started searching for a substitute Boom Boom song to satisfy our daughters' voracious appetite for Boom Boom-ing. I considered John Lee Hooker's tune of that very name but it didn't quite cut it. I finally settled on Steve's Hammer from Earle's tasty 2007 offering, Washington Square Serenade. Troops satisfied, parents back from the brink. My girls insist that we make hammering motions throughout, which can be tricky while driving, so I recommend this one for indoor listening only.


5. Rasslin' Jacob (Diamond Jubilation, Dixie Hummingbirds)
Oh, how I love this album. One of the greatest gospel singing groups of all time is joined instrumentally by (producer) Larry Campbell, Dr. John, and members of The Band. If you're squeamish about God stuff, well, just get over it. The pure joy of the sound here will have you and your little ones dancing around like fools. You can explain about Jesus later.


6. Spring is Just Around the Corner (Modern Romance, Sasha Dobson)
7. Sula (Goodbye Blue Monday, Jeremy Fisher)
My friend author Steve Almond turned me on to these two on a mix he made for his own daughter. I don't know much about either artist, but my family and I sure love these songs. Dobson's Spring is Just Around the Corner (written by and sung with Richard Julian) is a perfect drink for toddlers: naturally delicious with no artificial sweeteners. Fisher's Sula recalls Paul Simon's Me and Julio, with all the energy and rhythm and none of the mysterious creepiness.


8. Harmour Love (One to One, Syreeta)
This track (written by and sung with ex-husband Stevie Wonder) is on here for two reasons: because it deserves to be in its own right — your kids will love the Caribbean bounce and Syreeta's crystal delivery — and because it gives me an excuse to mention all of Wonder's other material from the mid-70s. If Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale aren't already in your collection, go get them. Right now. Seriously. I'll wait. Your kids will love all the up-tempo stuff from these two albums and everything else Wonder recorded nearby before and after.


9. Big Yellow Taxi (Ladies of the Canyon, Joni Mitchell)
The title alone pretty much secures this one for the toddler set. Joni's playful delivery brings it home. Bonus more-relevant-than-ever environmental message included.


10. Pushover (The Best of Etta James, Etta James)
11. Tell Mama (The Best of Etta James, Etta James)
In my quest to find "grownup" music my kids love, I take great - and unexplainable - pleasure in discovering lyrics with unintended second meanings. The inestimable Etta James offers up two such tracks on this one Best Of album. My wife was often chastened as a toddler not to push her friend Chichin (aka Gretchen). If Chichin's parents had played Pushover for her all those years ago, they may have saved her from years of ensuing therapy.


12. Fish and Whistle (Great Days: The John Prine Anthology, John Prine)
John Prine has been breaking down barriers in his work for years. He has a signature ability to be funny and poignant at once. This one sure seems like a song about fishing and whistling, but there's a lot more in there when you dig in. You and your kids will enjoy this together, on two different levels... Man, I love that.