Kidz Bop 14

Kidz Bop Kidz. (2008). Kidz bop 14. New York: Razor & Tie Records.

Genre: Alternative/Pop
Format: Music CD
Age Recommendation: 8-12

As an adult, words can not express how horrible any Kidz Bop album is to my ears, but given that this CD is geared towards children I'm going to be charitable. With a track list of 18 songs, children will love this CD simply for the fact that it's all modern hits and it's all sung by none other than kids. Whereas many children will undoubtedly be listening to this CD on repeat for hours at a time, parents however will be clawing at their bleeding ears as songs such as "Don't Stop The Music," "4 Minutes," and "Clumsy" are sung entirely in chorus. The CD seems to ruin each child's individual talent by insisting that nearly every song must be sung in sync. Had each song featured a main singer with the chorus as the background, the CD would have been much more bearable. The Kidz Bop Kidz are incredibly talented singers, there's no question about that, but the overall song selection does not do them justice. On a positive note, however, the more alternative songs seem to have a much more quality sound in comparison to the pop songs featured on the album. "Love Song" and "Stop and Stare" actually had me singing along, and some of the hip hop selections such as "Superstar" and "Take You There" had me dancing ever-so-slightly in my seat (but don't expect me to admit that I even listened to this in public). Overall, I must come to the conclusion that parents will hate it, but children will love it. The songs were picked with censorship in mind, so the songs feature no inappropriate content, yet certain love themes still seem far too old for even kids to be singing them. Some parents will therefore, of course, have objections based on their own music standards presented to their own children. If your child isn't allowed to listen to any of these songs on the radio, then the fact that kids are singing them doesn't make them magically appropriate. Parents should therefore screen the lyrics if they think they might have any objections. I would recommend this CD for kids ages 8-12, as kids within this age are just getting into the popular music scene and will find themselves able to relate to the kids singing because, hey, they're a kid too!

*Could not find professional review for this selection