Just as good are Blues Traveller singing the title song, "Dog Train," Alison Krauss' gorgeous "Evermore," and the light bluegrass "Dragonfire" sung by Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian. In fact, while the songs trend towards simplicity, this isn't just dumbed down kid entertainment, and that is all the better. I can't help but think that some parents will rejoice simply because this is kid-friendly music that they won't mind playing.

The range of performers is impressive, the laughs genuine, and the sound quality good.

But what about Mark Lanegan and the strange Weird Al/Kate Winslet pairing?

The duet, "I Need a Nap," is out of place on this disk. It comes across as a parody of Disney movie music--and that isn't meant in the nicest possible way. The rest of the songs are funny and original with, perhaps, the exception of "Boring Song" by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, which is short and good-natured where "I Need a Nap" is merely tedious. That's the bad news.

The good news is that Mark Lanegan, if he weren't covered in some pretty odd tattoos, could probably moonlight singing kids' songs. His voice is warm and light, his tone is wry but not overdone, and the song (as, I believe all of them were, written by Sandra Boynton) is charming. It's a bluesy tale of a bear and his sneakers--an addictive song with a funny punch line.

I bought the CD because I'm a completeist, but I was happily surprised by the music and the humor. I don't know that I would recommend it to any adult who has overdosed on irony or cynicism--the urge to sneer would be too great--but for any grown-up who wants their children to listen to good music or who can enjoy kid flicks unashamedly, this could be a quality Christmas gift this holiday season.

Kid friendly, Zomby approved.

Visit Boynton's Web site.

Editor's Note: This has been syndicated to Advance.net, a place affiliated with about 10 newspapers around the country.