Music for kids and parents to enjoy together

Put two parents of preschool-age children together in the same room and there’s a good chance they’ll end up having a conversation about “Bluey,” the wildly popular animated Australian TV series that’s captivated both children and parents alike. It’s a kids’ show but it can thoroughly entertain the adults in the room as well, clearly a key factor in its resounding success.

The same could be said about Tom Irwin’s newly released children’s album, One for the Kiddos, which comes packaged inside a spiral-bound songbook with lyrics and guitar chords, illustrated by Petersburg-based artist Kevin Atterberry. Irwin’s last album, All That Love, was a full band record released by Clyded Records in 2017, produced by John Stirratt, one of the founding members of the Chicago-based band Wilco.

This latest project has the same classic Americana feel that fans have come to love over Irwin’s nearly four decades in performing and recording, with perhaps a bit more silliness. A sixth-generation resident of Sangamon County and a doting grandpa, Irwin said that this album is a collection of songs written both for his own kids when they were little and now their kids. An active and involved grandfather, Irwin described how the song “Balls Everywhere” was inspired during the pandemic.

“I was helping out a lot with my grandson at that time, trying to keep him busy, and no matter where we went, he’d find a ball somewhere,” Irwin said.

These adventures are thoughtfully illustrated in the songbook by Atterberry with hand-drawn cartoons in bright, vibrant colors. As the songs play, small details pop out of the pages: a toothy rabbit stealing carrots in a veggie garden or forest animals shaking maracas and tambourines.

Irwin said he is hard-pressed to choose a favorite song on the album, which was produced by Gary Gorden at Inside Out Studio in Sparta, Illinois. Although recorded as a studio album, the tracks have a distinctly live, rich sound. Tom’s son, Owen Irwin, plays guitar, along with Bruce Brown on mandolin and dobro, Polly Launay on violin, Ross Sermons on bass and Amy Battles on vocals. Battles also co-wrote the album’s sweet and singable lullaby, “Goodnight Baby Goodnight.”

“It’s hard to choose a favorite because they change day by day, but “Cheese and Crackers” is a special one. I actually wrote that for my grandma when I was taking care of her, and my son was little then too, so they were both in diapers!” Irwin remarked with a laugh. “Back then she would get those big blocks of government cheese, boy, she loved that cheese. Anyway, we were eating a lot of cheese and crackers together, and it made its way into a song.”

Irwin sings lead vocal, plays guitar and wrote all the songs on the album except for one- Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”

Ranging from simply silly songs like “Shake-a-puddin” and active, up-and-moving songs such as “All Around” to gentle bedtime songs, each track on the album is underpinned by rich instrumentals and clever lyrics. The mandolin, dobro and fiddle on the album give it a delightful bluegrass hue, with some electric guitar thrown in for good measure. An album for the kiddos, certainly, but one that likely you’ll let play on even after the kids have left the room.

The One for the Kiddos illustrated songbook and CD will be available just in time for holiday gifting, with an LP version due out later in the spring. The album will also be available on various streaming platforms and for purchase at https://tomirwin.net/store.

This article appears in Winter 2024 November 2024.