Mr. Harley - Blue Shirt

Mr. Harley has become a favorite of children everywhere, and his second album, Blue Shirt, is a start-to-finish treat! It will have the kids singing and moving, and their parents may be surprised at how much they’ll want to join in.

Take the title track, an ode to a favorite item of clothing. It’s set to a light ska sound that grown-ups might be surprised to find themselves dancing to. It wouldn’t surprise any kid, though; to them, dancing to “Blue Shirt” is the most natural thing in the world.

The four seasons of the year each get their own moment in the spotlight on Blue Shirt. “Seasons (Winter)” is the opener, and it gives kids a chance to stomp their way through the snow at a faster and faster pace. Look for more high-stepping in the seasons to come...

Mr. Harley gets some help from the kids as he sings “I Like”, a song about some of the things he likes. The kids’ enthusiastic singing along makes it clear they like these things too.

“I’m a pirate!” roars Mr. Harleybeard, and “The Pirate Song” weighs anchor and sets sail. Landlubbers and scurvy dogs alike will enjoy putting their best peg leg forward and doing their best pirate impression.

“Seasons (Spring)” reveals the snow has melted, leaving behind a lot of mud puddles - just the thing for stomping in with a good pair of galoshes.

“The Dinosaurs Are Coming,” Mr Harley warns, but their trombone-like roars are no threat to the kids of today. This may be the most educational song on the album, as we learn about not only the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras, but also how they related to post-Impressionistic painting.

“Count To Ten” with Mr. Harley! He leads the gang from one to ten (“Let’s try it again!”) and ten to one (“Nicely done!”), and you’ve never heard a catchier version of one to ten in Spanish.

“Seasons (Summer)” features a Hawaiian-sounding guitar, as Mr. Harley seeks to beat the heat with a jump into the ocean - but first, he’s got to get past all the hot sand...

Wind up the Victrola for “These Friends of Mine,” a toe-tapper from the Twenties - well, not really, but the clarinet, hi-hat, and megaphoned-in vocal, you can be forgiven for thinking it is. Mr. Harley’s friends are all about rhyming - why else would one of them own an icicle tricycle?

When you think of Pink Floyd, you don’t think of children’s music. But “The Gnome,” who first poked his head up on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, fits right into Mr. Harley’s world. It’s the album’s quietest moment, as much a merry tale as a wholehearted tribute to crazy diamond Syd Barrett.

“Seasons (Fall)” is the fourth season song, and after dealing with snow, mud, and hot sand, it’s time for some fun with leaves.

A fanfare for the King of the Land! He turns out to be a shy and awkward king, but he brightens up as he tells the story of “The King’s Castle.” It takes a few tries to build one that will stay up, but the castle-warming party at the end was worth the wait.

“Freeze” is a cross between Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys that’ll have everybody dancing - until Mr. Harley shouts out the title.

The album’s over, and Mr. Harley’s playing a relaxing game of Go Fish with Mr. Harleybeard and the King of the Land. But wait - who’s that at the door? Why, it’s “Brobot,” searching for his lost dog. After he leaves, Mr. Harley wraps things up by putting all four season songs together - a year’s worth of stomping, splashing, skittering and kicking, which he hopes you’ll enjoy for many years to come.