Mark Sept. 6 as a happy day with Trout Fishing in America’s release of the second entry in their Chicken Joe book/CD series, Chicken Joe Forgets Something Important. The title sums up the plot.
As their first kid fans become parents themselves, Trout fishes for new generations of listeners with this series about the exploits of Chicken Joe, “the cat who sleeps in the henhouse.”
The tale is told in upbeat new songs about “Rock and Roll Roosters” and a “C-A-T in the H-E-N House.” None of songs depends upon the book or a knowledge of farm animals, but the modernistic drawings of old-fashioned farm life enhance Trout’s usual combination of great music and fun lyrics.
Humans and cats may wish for “16 or 17 Hours of Sleep,” sung to a punk rock beat that defies slumber. I enjoyed the bluegrass air of “Through the Pines” and a pretty guitar/violin mix in the sweet silly “The Fish Swim Backwards in the Sky.” Bluesy funk is the genre for “Hello, My Chicken Thinks He’s a Dog.”
There are lots of danceable tunes and not a lullaby in the bunch. The range of styles and the brilliance of their playing makes this another winner by my favorite band. And the real-life Chicken Joe is a great cat.
Kathy O’Connell is a contributing writer to MetroKids and host of Kids Corner, weekdays 7-8pm on WXPN 88.5 FM
