Review of Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies

The Short of It

Artists: Andrew Peterson & Randall Goodgame
Release Date: December 22, 2006
Label: Square Peg Alliance
Audience: Children ages one to six (and their parents)
Available for Purchase: Randall Goodgame Store


The Long of It

Several months ago, my two-year-old daughter, Olivia, and I checked out a Laurie Berkner CD from the library. While Olivia loved the songs, I was concerned that she was listening to nonsense all day long. It was my desire to find a CD that was just as fun, but at the same time communicated spiritual truths, especially since she sings along to everything. About a month ago, I stumbled across an ad for Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies, a new children's CD from CCM artists Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame. Being an avid listener of Peterson's music, I immediately ordered the project.

The album -- whose linear notes read at one point "No children were eaten during the making of this record" -- is broken into two parts. The first two-thirds of it contains fun kids songs (many of them very silly), while the remaining one-third is tender lullabies. Styles range from swing to folk to jazzy blues to what Olivia calls "yeehaw music." There's even a little bit of pirate "yo-ho-hoing."

As a whole, the project has a very organic feel. What I mean by that is you'll find no auto-tune happening here. There are several songs where Goodgame could've used a bit, such as in "God Made Me" and "Beautiful Girl," but instead a decision was made not to use the tool. And frankly, it's refreshing. There are times when I want to hear a human voice sing without all the bells and whistles of technology. To me, children's music is perfect for this; it shouldn't be too polished.

While I know little about Goodgame, I've come to expect much from Peterson. In my book, he's one of the master storytellers in Christian music, able to beautifully craft songs that make me smile, cry, and think deeply. After listening to this CD, I've had to add laugh to that list. For anyone who picks up this album, get ready to be very amused.

The album contains songs that are simply silly, such as "Piggy Little Toes" (or "The Yeehaw Song" as Olivia calls it), "Bears," and "Tractor, Tractor," as well as songs that communicate spiritual truths including "Stop" and "God Made Me."

"Piggy Little Toes" tells the story of a dad (Peterson) looking for his daughter at a square dance. He sings:

Hey, little Skye girl, where did you go/Out of the holler in the rain and snow?/Maybe she's down at the Do Si Do/Just kicking her feet with the piggy little toes

My girl's got one bellybutton and two elbows/A cute little face and a pretty little nose/And one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten piggy little toes

In "Bears," we hear:

No grizzly bears don't wear underwear/Socks, or jammies, or gloves/No baby bears don't wear diapers/No Pampers, no Huggies, no Luvs ...

No panda bears aren't so scary/They're eatin' up China bamboo/But if you don't mind your mama/They might just come and eat you

One of Olivia's favorite songs on the CD, "God Made Me," uses humor to teach kids that God made them:

God made slugs and bugs and rats and bats/And nasty bees that don't say please/They'll sting your elbows and your knees if you chase them

But God made me like he made the sea/He filled it up with green and blue/He sent His Son, His Only One/To fill me up and make me new

What's great about this CD is that Peterson and Goodgame have managed to do what VeggieTales has done -- make an entertaining product for both children and parents. For example, kids may not understand the humor in a song such as "Chicken Wiggle," but any parent who's had problems burping their baby will love hearing:

You've got bubbles down in your tummy/And they'll be trouble if they don't rise/Well I know that milk is yummy/But the doctor says no matter how much the baby cries, you've got to ...

Burp, burp, Chicken Wiggle, don't spit up ...

It also has the distinct touch of "dad." Written, performed, and produced by two dads, it's no surprise to find an entire song about eating beans that ends with:

Why did you eat them beans, boy/Why did you eat them beans?/The neighbors done up and they moved to Queens, all 'cause you ate them beans

"Who's Got the Ball," also known as the "ballgame song" at our house, celebrates the fun of kids playing ball with their daddy. The track includes a sports announcer midway through the song, adding a fun touch to what would have otherwise been too repetitive if left solely to its lyrics.
The one complaint I have about the silly tracks is that I think Peterson and Goodgame were unknowningly influenced by already existing children's songs. The music to "God Made Me" reminded both Ted and me of something off of Blue's Clues, while "Dreams" brought to mind VeggieTales' "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything."

As a parent, my favorite part of the album is the lullabies. Let's just say, they've brought me to tears on many occasions. While auto-tune is clearly missing from Goodgame's "Beautiful Girl," I love this song because it reminds me of the times I've heard my husband singing our girls to sleep. In it, Goodgame sings:

I've got you swaddled and I've got your bottle/And you're too loud to ignore/Your mama is sleeping/The angels are keeping/So cry no more

Hey, beautiful girl/Daddy loves you, he loves you/Most beautiful girl in the whole wide world

However, my two favorite songs on the album are Peterson's "May the Lord Bless and Keep You" and "My Baby Loves to Dance." In "May the Lord Bless and Keep You," we hear:

Goodnight, my dear/Be at ease/Till you're floating like the sunlight through the trees/Be at ease

May the Lord bless and keep you/The Lord shine His face upon you, child/And give you grace/May the Lord turn His face toward you, love/And give you peace

In "My Baby Loves to Dance," Peterson sings:

My baby loves to dance/She loves to spin around/She's only two feet tall, but I don't mind at all/She hears a song in every little sound ...

My baby loves me so/She loves me as I am/She lifts her little hands/Her wish is my command/I'll pick her up forever if I can

In the end, the lullaby portion of this album is more than songs meant to soothe and settle down kids. It's also a beautiful testament to the joys of parenting; hence the reason it brings me to tears at each listen.

Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies. It's silly. It's moving. And to borrow a popular phrase, at our house, it's kid-tested. Parent approved.