Seasons for Singing

AMG Review of Seasons for Singing

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Jenkins recorded these dozen songs, with children pitching in on the sing-along vocals, at a summer music workshop at St. Paul's Church in Chicago in 1969. Like many of Jenkins' albums, it's well above average for a children's-oriented recording, in that it can be enjoyed on strictly musical terms as well as used for educational purposes, and doesn't condescend to either kids or the parents who might buy it for their kids. Jenkins, with some assistance from her audience, plays an assortment of instruments -- ukulele, harmonica, guitar, drums, and rhythm sticks -- to give this more diversity than the usual folk sing-along. The material has more variety than the usual folk sing-along too, getting into blues ("Freight Train Blues"), classic folk ("This Train"), work songs ("Don't You Do Me Wrong"), Greek music ("Tee-kah-nees"), unplugged upbeat R&B ("You Look So Sweet"), and, most surprisingly, acoustic rock & roll ("Go, Aquanetta, Go," which has some riffs close to "California Sun"). The major flaw of this set is that it's only 30 minutes long, although if you use this for educational purposes at home or in school, that could be a bonus given that kids' attention spans might wander during a longer program.