Press Play by Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could, out June 24!
Woo hoo! In their 8th release, two-time Children’s GRAMMY Award nominees Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could present a sonically rich and layered collection of 12 original songs. A creative collaboration from Brady, longtime bandmates and guests, among them veterans of Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions, Odetta and Ronnie Spector, Press Play is richly colored and alive with personality. Brady calls it “an Americana mashup – a tasty musical stew.”
NPR’s All Things Considered has noted that Brady’s band “might just be the best sounding band in children’s music.” On Press Play, their distinctive sound continues to evolve, borrowing a little rhythm and blues from Stax Records, nodding to Aretha Franklin’s gospel roots and blending in the expressive harmonies of the Everly Brothers. There’s a Springsteen-esque rock anthem, a Randy Newman style piano ballad and a lazy and playful New Orleans boogie. Along with the band’s signature accordion-and-piano sound, the album features a raise-the-roof horn section and down-home pedal steel guitar and fiddle.
Lyrically, Press Play is filled with stories of love, surprise, doing good and the passage of time. Every song reflects Rymer’s life-affirming exuberance. As “Don’t Knock It Till You Try It” advises, “give it a once-around/you won’t know till you know.” The voice of “Me on the Map” realizes her personal and geographical connections, “seeing the whole world stretching out” from her little town. In the redemptive “It’s a Beauty,” a group of firemen pull an old 1933 pumper truck out of the junk heap, polish it up and get it ready for the hometown parade.
Families will jump in and enjoy the catchy, singalong hooks and engaging stories, along with the colorful and creative musicality of Press Play.
