Tangerine Tambourine - Tangerine Tambourine

Meet Tangerine Tambourine!

Tangerine Tambourine's core members, Jeff Sharp, Jamie Pressnell, Bobby Blount, Josh Lovvorn, and Whitney Inscho, have been performing together since 2008. The band are supported on their debut album by Jeremy Braswell, Mark Horton (who records as J. Crown), Tasha Jones, Mike Kilpatrick, and Subteriffic Chug-A-Lug alumni Alan King on sax and David "Super Dave" Ward on percussion.

The horn section is shored up by out-of-towner session guy Satish. The album was mastered by Motown veteran Bob Ohlsson, and mixed by Greg Thompson, who worked on They Might Be Giants' recent GRAMMY winner Here Come the 123s.

The Music of Tangerine Tambourine

Tangerine Tambourine kicks off with the Muscle Shoals-powered R&B shouter "Doing the Math," complete with a double dutch chant breakdown. Then comes the Fab Four-inspired "Mix It Up," a tune about combining favorite foods that channels both The Beatles' "All You Need is Love" and George Harrison's "Crackerbox Palace." And "The ABCs" is pretty much exactly how The Ramones would play the alphabet song.

The food lover's tune "Bananas (Plum Crazy)" is reminiscent of a laid-back Sublime song, while the Celtic-flavored "In the Morning" features lots of onomatopoeias and an anthemic, Oasis-like chorus. And the highlight of "Go Go Gorilla," a rockin' Chicago blues call-and-response tune, is the blistering harmonica work by Jeremy Braswell.

Accordions and ukuleles abound in "Mailman," a tune describing the heroic perseverance of postal workers. "My Shadow" would've fit right in on the Jungle Book soundtrack with its world music rhythms, and "Shake It Up" is a twangy Elvis tribute, a la "Teddy Bear."

More Music from Tangerine Tambourine

One of the highlights of Tangerine Tambourine is definitely "Radio," a song about the joy of hearing your favorite ditty play over the airwaves, a tune that has Contemporary Country Hit written all over it. "Clean Up Your Act" is a Reggae-fied bathtime jam, while "Spit It Out" describes every parent's battle with orally fixated toddlers, via "stuck in your head" power pop.

"Hey Saturday!" is another sunny pop gem, this time celebrating the awesomeness of the weekend (listen for the melody of "A Day in the Life" sneaking into the bridge); while the wistful, waltzing "Swing Swang Swung" is reminiscent of the McCartney/Costello duet "You Want Her Too" from Flowers in the Dirt.

If you could still flip albums over, Side 1 of Tangerine Tambourine ends with a short, funky loop called "Banjo Rock," while Side 2 ends with a sweet, show-ending ukulele farewell, both invoking the band's name. That's right, Tangerine Tambourine is bringing back old school self-shoutouts, circa 1987!

The Verdict

Tangerine Tambourine's self-titled debut kids' album is a solid collection that makes you wish for a quick follow-up: on the strength of songs like "Radio," "Hey Saturday!" and "Swing Swang Swung," Tangerine Tambourine's second effort promises to be a children's music chart-topper.

Released June 9, 2009; Science Fair Records

Track Listing

1. "Doing the Math"
2. "Mix It Up"
3. "The ABCs"
4. "Bananas (Plum Crazy)"
5. "In the Morning"
6. "Go Go Gorilla"
7. "Mailman"
8. "Banjo Rock"
9. "My Shadow"
10. "Shake It Up"
11. "Radio"
12. "Clean Up Your Act"
13. "Spit It Out"
14. "Hey Saturday!"
15. "Swing Swang Swung"
16. "Bye Bye Betty Jane"