Review Summary: Parents rejoice when you hear the sound of Wayne Brady’s voice; your kids will learn important and fundamental values while singing-a-long to his catchy and clever tunes.
Wayne Brady is a jack of all trades in the media industry. He is an Emmy award winning actor and comedian who has had done over a decade of acting for various projects. He is currently hosting the hit TV show Let’s Make A Deal, and has appeared and helped with shows such as MADtv, Robot Chicken, Chappelle’s Show, How I Met Your Mother, Just for Laughs, and Whose Line Is It Anyway? But most significantly he has had two shows of his own, Don’t Forget the Lyrics, and The Wayne Brady Show. This man has one of the most impressive résumés of any small-time professional in the industry and now he comes out to the world with a child’s sing-a-long album to teach proper hygiene, strong morals, and important habits. His debut, released by Peak Records and Concord Music Group was well received in 2008 for its take on classic R&B and Soul. The album reached 20 on the U.S. Top R&B and Hip-hop albums of 2008, and 2 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers. His latest album entitled
Radio Brady is one of the most ingenious children’s albums to have ever been written.
The album
Radio Brady keeps the same R&B/Hip-hop style that was featured on Wayne Brady’s debut
A Long Time Coming while moulding the vocality to be whimsical for its intended younger audience. The album also features a wide variety of instrument styles. While the drums keep a simple hip-hop feel there is the use of world and rock & roll influences to give each song a strong and less cliché dynamic. Unfortunately the album suffers from borrowing the traditional C major scale which limits the range of these dynamics, but because
Radio Brady is intended for children the idea is to make it presentable to them in a simple way that they can not only understand but also enjoy. The production quality is top of the line with interesting hooks in the background keyboard synths and vocal accompaniments. All instruments and sounds that are featured are easily perceived as authentic (giving each song a more relatable feel) and are intricately placed to add emphasis on the message imbedded in the lyrics. The album as a whole is not entirely cohesive as each song briefly cascades over a different subject (usually pertaining to a value of some sort).
Lyrically
Radio Brady is clever because most lines rhyme together without ruining or straying away from the intended idea used as the basis of each song. Wayne Brady does a fantastic job communicating these ideas simply and articulately while maintaining a fun and light-hearted tone throughout the album. Some themes that are featured almost anthem-like preach about washing your hands, reading, eating well, and saying please. Whether the album actually works in teaching children these values is yet to be determined, however based on the quality of the musicianship it is likely that
Radio Brady will be successful for it is not only enjoyable for children but also for adults. The songs are whimsical and corny but they are also cute and pleasant and the music is real enough to be relatable to both parents and their children. So instead of grudgingly handing ones kid a Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers album which will likely rot their minds with pre-adolescent hokiness, parents can enjoy actively listening to
Radio Brady with their young children as they learn the foundations of good values.
Wayne Brady successfully created a fantastic children’s pop music album while combining the R&B/Hip-hop style showcased on his debut and some other musical influences ranging from world to rock and roll. The ideas he conveys are simple enough for a child to understand and are written, sung, and played intricately and articulately. The album is light-hearted, fun, and jolly, lyrically well-written, instrumentally cliché but perfect for its tone and intended audience.
Radio Brady will hopefully work in teaching children and maybe even parents as well everything from respect for animals to washing your hands. As an Emmy award winning comedian and actor, Wayne Brady has surely shown the world that he is also a talented singer and a brilliant children’s lyricist.
Recommended Tracks:
Hide and Seek
Say Please
The High-Low
