Little Mo’ McCoury

I’m a year shy of 60 and have been making a living writing for four decades. Hmmmm, do the words “senior citizen” come to mind? Well, let’s just say I’ve matured somewhat with my word usage, and one word I’ve shunned these past couple of decades is “cute.” At my ripe age, it just doesn’t seem to fit.

But, I can’t help myself: “Little Mo MCCoury” is just downright cute. From its comic-book-like cover to the reproductions of kids’ posters all over the packaging and in the grooves (or whatever they’re called in this digital music world) of Ronnie McCoury’s new CD, which is billed as bluegrass for kids.

Has this ever been done before? I remember Tom T. Hall doing an album in the Seventies that was for kids, but it wasn’t bluegrass. McCoury may be breaking some new ground here. In doing so, he’s produced a real charmer — for us bluegrass kids of all ages.

The CD opens with a neat Bob Dylan tune, “Man Gave Names to All the Animals,” and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” the Randy Newman-penned song from “Toy Story.” The two melodies set the stage for lots of fun that follows, including “The Monkey and the Engineer,” “This Old Man,” and “This Land is Your Land.” There’s somewhat of a not-so-cute offering among the fields of daisies and lollipops here, the old classic “Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy.”

But, back to this “cute” business. Little kids’ sweet and innocent voices introduce each song. Sound effects — train sounds, animal sounds, funny little sounds — pop up throughout “Little Mo.” Yeah, it’s cute. A group of kids, many obviously related to McCoury and Company judging by their names on the credits, also joins in on some of the grade-school and kindergarten standards. Yeah, it’s cute. One cut also features a school chorus. Yeah, it’s cute, and pretty darn well done.

Ronnie McCoury’s band mates from his dad’s band handle the sideman chores on the CD, so the musicianship, although secondary by the very nature of the project, is top-notch.

So, if you have a young son or daughter, perhaps a grandchild, that needs an introduction to bluegrass, buy “Little Mo” for their next birthday or as a Christmas present. Perhaps you need a warm and fuzzy (maybe cute?) infusion yourself for yourself. “Little Mo” will fit that bill. Yeah, it’s cute, no matter your age.

by Dan Tackett

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