This month’s column is written for country music fans out there. Although most country music can pass as suitable for children, during this time when so many children’s albums are being made, surprisingly few country CDs are actually made for children. Here are a couple that are worth a listen. For those of you with sleepless cow-boys and girls, try a new series: Hushabye Baby: Lullaby Renditions of Country Music Favorites. Music by country legends Rascal Flatts, Travis Tritt, Faith Hill, George Strait and more than a dozen others is trans-formed into lullabies as comforting as a warm blanket. Some of the songs didn’t need a lot of tweaking and already have a soothing sound, like Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.” Others, like Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” is surprisingly cheery and the metronome-steady rhythm of the xylophone is sure to lull your baby to sleep.

The Dixie Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” has never sounded sweeter with the melody played on a fiddle accompanied by a mandolin. The musicians use percussion such as a celeste and glockenspiel, as well as other instruments, such as steel guitar and harmonica, all of which combine to create dreamy melodies perfect for little ears. The series has four albums so far. I used to go to line dancing les-sons with my grandmother and can appreciate a good foot stomper when I hear it. If you find yourself feeling weary on a hot summer day, you might want to pop The Bummkinn Band’s Rockin’ the Yeehaw into your CD player for some rootin’ tootin’ country fun. Kimber Breaux (also known as Rosie Mae) sings with a hearty twang and in the past has credited Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson as influences. She writes on her website that although some think of being a bumpkin as being unsophisticated, she likes to think of it as “having a good time…relishing the simple things life has to offer.” Just as adult country music can dramatize everyday incidents, these songs speak to a child’s life. Kids will be able to relate to such songs as “I Dropped My Ice Cream on the Ground,” “You Broke My Heart on the Swingset” and “Texas Sized Boo Boo.” But as silly as the titles are, the songs resonate with ageless wisdom. Songs about growing up, making friends and making mistakes translate easily through Breaux’ easy lyrics. My favorite is “I Wanna Wagon Full of Roses,” a ballad about making others happy. It makes me wax nostalgic for the special moments in my own life. For Baby Bumpkin Ears

Whitney Lou is trying to figure out where her son Jax, 3, got his new-found sense of potty humor. They live in the West End with her daughter Sophie and her husband Jeff.

Archives: