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Anybody who’s spent time in the company of 2-year-olds knows that Raffi is the original kid-whisperer. Without so much as an outstretched sugar cube or its vocal equivalent, he lures them into a torrent of happy-go-lucky tunes, and then lulls them along with a feather-light delivery that fuels visions of favorite uncles. Since 1996’s Everything Grows though, Baby Beluga’s beloved pappy has left us high and dry–all the more reason to celebrate Let’s Play. That the master troubadour hasn’t lost his touch is clear from “Eensy Weensy Spider” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” both standards that Raffi enlivens with color and verve. Other covers here, including “Yellow Submarine” and “What a Wonderful World,” sound newly kid-specific. But it’s the originals among these 16 tracks that stick with you. “Jane Jane,” a tribute to Dr. Jane Goodall, will open many a meaningful chimp chat, and “Roots and Shoots Everywhere” uplifts by way of boldly examining the power of little people. Raffi signatures such as intermingling languages (“Tsetang Gangla,” “May There Always Be Sunshine”) and inviting every genre under the sun to come on down (listen closely and you’ll pick up everything from klezmer to country) sew up an exceptional, accessible CD. Let’s Play demonstrates anew that when Raffi dreams up a batch of new ditties, he doesn’t play around.

Tracklist

1. Let’s Play 
2. Swing 
3. Yellow Submarine 
4. Eensy Weensy Spider 
5. What A Wonderful World 
6. Raining Like Magic 
7. Up On Fernhill 
8. Jane Jane
9. If You’re Happy And You Know It 
10. Arbutus Baby 
11. Jiggledy Jill 
12. Roots And Shoots Everywhere 
13. Tsetang Gangla (On The Playground) 
14. It Takes A Village 
15. Blessed Be 
16. May There Always Be Sunshine