Princess Katie and Racer Steve
Fast & Feisty
www.princessracer.com
 
“Fast and Feisty” unquestionably is. This second CD from the band Princess Katie and Racer Steve continues the fun that started as an effort by husband and wife Katie O’Sullivan and Steve Borne to entertain kids in hospitals with costumes of Shrek and Fiona. Also part of the group is Judo Champ Billy (who really is a judo champ) on bass and Crash on drums.
 
Princess Katie has been most often compared to Natalie Merchant, and she definitely has a similar voice and songwriting style. But with this new CD, Princess Katie shows a more diverse sound.
 
There is an assorted mix of rhythms, starting with the big-band-swinging “Holidays!” And while my husband thought “We Dress Ourselves” sounded like the Go-Gos (which really dates us), “The Pillow,” with its whimsical imagery, has a cool bossa nova groove.
 
“Sneakers” is more indy-rock, and, since I have Japanese roots, I found this song especially impressive because Princess Katie managed to finagle a few Japanese words into the lyrics. I couldn’t fight the irresistible impulse to do the cha-cha with the congas on “Bubbles,” but since I don’t know how to do the cha-cha, I just ended up twirling around the room with my daughter.  
 
The underlying messages of the songs are uplifting and positive. “Hey Claire,” is one of my son’s favorites, and initially sounds like a song by Blondie or perhaps The Pretenders. This song is all about sharing, which is ironic because I have actually found my children absent-mindedly singing the lyrics while they grab Tinker Toys or marbles away from each other. Well, perhaps they don’t get the lyrics all right, but they try and I’m hoping they’ll catch on to the meaning soon.
 
“Looking for Trouble” encourages kids to see their siblings as buddies (“Hey you, over there, did you just pull your sister’s hair? ...Your sis and your bro are a gift to you.”) and to value playing a game for fun, not to win. (“I know winning doesn’t mean a lot but I’m still so nervous in my hiding spot”)
 
Some of the lyrics are just frivolous and fun, “I’ll have bubbles, no troubles, a hug and a kiss, a laugh-out loud tickle,” but I’ll bet they’ll all find their way into your head when you are fixing dinner or waiting for your kids to come out of time-out. Your kids will probably want this album to be a staple in your CD changer, and you won’t mind a bit.
 

Whitney Lou’s 4-year-old daughter, Sophie, likes to sing made-up, atonal songs that remind her mom of avant-garde poetry readings she used to attend in NYC. They live in the near West End.

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