Various Artists - African Playground

I bought this to teach students more about music in different African countries and found the music very addictive and upbeat. One thing that would have made this (and many other Putumayo CDs) better would be if Putumayo provided full translation of the lyrics. Some songs (e.g. Jambo Bwana, Battu, etc.) only had translations for one paragraph of the lyrics while other songs did not have any translations at all (e.g. Mbube, Hello Hello).

My daughter has loved this CD since she was 3 months old. Now she is 7 months and she dances to the music. I often use it to put her in a good mood. All of the songs are fun and wonderful.

After seeing "The Last King of Scotland" (decidedly NOT for the kiddies!!!), I desperately wanted some African music, so I went online and found "African Playground". I listened to the samples, ordered the CD, and upon receiving it, was surprised (and somewhat embarassed) to see that its intended audience was children.

"Oh well," I said to my dog, "what the heck. I'm pretty immature anyway..." So I tried it out, and became completely addicted.

There is such a wide variety of styles, instruments, and languages throughout the disc, one could never become bored listening to it, and there's not a bad song in the bunch. What unites all of them is their unquestionable beauty and contagious happiness. One of the songs (Track 3, by the Mahotella Queens) is so beautiful it actually made me cry the first time I heard it!

While I have no doubt that kids would enjoy it, adults shouldn't be afraid of falling in love with with this gorgeous, cheerful, utterly charming CD.

P.S. My dog likes it too :)

My daughter and niece love this CD. They want to hear it all the time.

I found this in a grocery store of all places and bought it on a whim. My 13 month old likes it, but even if he didn't, I love it! I "car danced" all the way home! It is so up tempo, it's the perfect driving CD and I've got it in the house now to clean to. It's a little traditional African, a little dance club, a little disco but it totally works. Can't wait to check out the other CDs in this collection.

My baby and I LOVE the captivating rhythms of this music. You can't help but get up and dance along!

I expected a lot more, so I was mildly disappointed. There were a least 3 songs that I kept in constant replay.

I put on the music, and he either smiles or sleeps. Can't beat that!

I originally purchased this CD to listen to with the twins I care for (I am trying to expose them to all the music of the world). This CD turned out to be an awesome everyday CD for me. I like to listen to it while I am cleaning because it is upbeat and fun. Buy this CD. You will LOVE it!!!

This music is such a joy to experience for our young family, be it cheerful sing alongs in the car, or dancing around in the living room at home. All the family love it so much, I wish more of the CDs in my collection were as good as this. Feel the spirit of Africa - so much life and energy captured by the music.

All ethnic music appreciation education should be this fun! The Putumayo production company has done what had previously seemed impossible: Allow African artists to play THEIR music, not westernize it into unrecognizability (ala Deep Forest), but expertly produce it with a quality and clarity not previously available in that continent. This is one excellent album.

Some high points: 1) The music is a fine cross-section of African musicology. There's representation from literally every continental compass point. The selections demonstrate a fine variety from the South African song that according to the liner notes inspired THE TOKENS hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)", to a West African tune that has shades of a breezy mediterranean luluby.

2) The performances are excellent. (I lived in Kenya for a number of years and THEM MUSHROOMS, the presenters of "Jambo Bwana", were very frequently on the AM dial, though they never sounded this good!) These are authentic African groups (not afro-americans/europeans making music that attempts to SOUND african). That makes all the difference, as AFRICAN PLAYGROUND sounds decidedly non-western (those looking for a Lion King or Rugrats-like soundtrack are likely to be surprised but not for a second disappointed), but still holds all the joy and spontenaety that African music is known for. A number of songs (eg: Battu, and Kalimba) practially dare you not to bob your head in time, regardless of your age.

3) There's educational value here, and not just from the experience of new music. Putumayo provides outstanding liner notes, explaining the origin and meaning of each song, providing some info about its nation, and phoentically spells out a number of the lyrics. My three-year-old now knows how to greet someone in Swahili, and that happenned effortlessly and inadvertantly through the catchy tune "Jambo Bwana".

4) It's FUN! "Kalimba", a favorite of mine and my little one, will have you imagining yourself bouncing along on a dusty safari almost instantly. Each tune brings new energy to the listening experience and there are no "throw-away" tracks. Please pardon the cliche, but this is an album that the whole family can enjoy. The songs are lively and colorful enough to hold the attention of the little ones, but sophistocated enough for the adult palate. Just note that this is not a bed-time disc... ;-)

Of the Putumayo albums I've sampled, this is by a wide margin my favorite. It comes highly recommended to anyone who enjoys good music, and especially to those seeking to expand their music library with a bright, upbeat, African album.

As A Child Care Provider I use this CD all the time for different upbeat musical activities. The kids love the different rhythms and sounds. Plus they loved learning about the countries the music comes from.

This disc is great, the whole family, including our two-year old son! He requests "Jambo Bwana" whenever he sees us reach for the CD! Some of these are artists I grew up listening to in Zambia! No Disney commercialism here - I mean should we stop using our ancient phrases like "Akuna Matata" just because it was a buzz word (phrase) a few years ago? I think not. This was my first Putumayo Kids CD and it has encouraged me to look into the rest of the collection (which is why I'm browsing through Amazon right now).

We received this as a gift, the 2nd Putumayo CD we'd received. I LOVE listening to this with my 3 month old. The songs are fun and upbeat and so much more interesting than most baby music!

This a great cd with catchy tunes from countries all over Africa. It isn't all in English, either, as a previous reviewer claimed. The song "Jambo Bwana", for instance, is in Swahili and is a popular song in Kenya. An interesting side note is that it is often used as a tool to teach non-native Speakers Swahili. "Laba Laba" is sung in Yoruba, one of many languages spoken in Nigeria. If you want to expose your kids to other languages and cultures in a way that they will love, this is a great way to do it.

The African languages are fascinating and sound great. It's a beautiful CD, with upbeat sounds appropriate for kids.

I have the first World Playground and the Dreamland Putumayo CDs and they are wonderful. Since I love African music, I ordered this CD, but it does not live up to the others. If you have Lion King, then this is very similar. My biggest disappointment is that it is sung in English with a few scattered African phrases that we all recognize (i.e. "hakuna matata" and others from Lion King).

The music is nice enough (hence the 3 stars), but too commercial. The entire time, I just kept thinking Disney.

Who knew children's music could be so enjoyed by the whole family?? I couldn't get enough of this CD when we first recieved it. It is next to impossible to stay in a bad mood while listening to this upbeat music.