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Today at The Crossroads I'm turning to keys over to my good friend Steely Dad who was kind enough to handle a new music review opportunity for me. Without further adieu, the Donald Fagen to my Walter Becker, or something like that, Steely Dad:
My buddy PJ over at the blog Real Men Drive Minivans asked if I’d like to review a new Chanukah CD. Although a serious jazz buff and reviewer who knows much about his art form, PJ felt, as a righteous gentile, that he was notqualified to do this genre of music justice. Enter me.
I love music but Chanukah music? I was asking myself, “Seriously, is PJ really going to put me through this torture?” Let’s face it, Chanukah music just doesn’t imbue one with the spirit of the holidays as well as its Christian cousin, Christmas music. So, to be honest, my first reaction was “What are you, meshugenah, PJ?” But I love PJ; he’s my blogging bro and if a brother asks a favor, you deliver.
PJ mailed the CD, Chanukah Fever, a 13-track disk (the first is not a song but an intro) created by the artist Mama Doni. My son, who is four, was really stoked to check it out. I, on the other hand, thought, “How many versions of ‘The Dreidel Song’ can one artist sing?" Thirteen, I guessed. Oy vey! What did I get myself into?
We tried it out in the car and instantly I realized this was a very different kind of Chanukah music. The first musical track, “Chanukah Fever” wastes little time getting you into the Chanukah mood with a solid disco-inspired beat that got my foot tapping from the first funkified guitar chords.
If Jamiroquai started doing Chanukah songs, they would sound a lot like “Chanukah Fever.” This song, like most on the CD, is upbeat and fun. In fact, it is my son’s favorite song on the CD. Incredibly, after more than 1,000 listens, it hasn’t driven me insane.
Mama Doni takes the traditional concepts of Chanukah and spins them into catchy and funny songs. Take “Latke Man,” for example. If this song about a potato-lovin’ dude doesn’t inspire you to grate 100 spuds, fry ‘em up in a pan full of oil and smother them in sour cream, I don’t know what will.
Remember Tone Loc? Well, Mama Doni does and she honors his simple genius with the song, “The Funky Gold Menorah,” a salute to Judaica adornments. Listening to Mama Doni while lighting your nine-branch candelabra will never be the same again, and I mean that in a good way.
Mama Doni adroitly maneuvers through many different musical styles including reggae, swing, country, island and Ricky Martin (“La Vida Dreidel”). She really brings a fresh new approach to a medium that has long needed a makeover.
In all, Chanukah Fever is a rich tapestry of traditional Chanukah thematic songs dressed in modern beats and melodies that will soon become a holiday favorite during your Chanukah celebrations. Perhaps you may even begin to hear Chanukah Fever interspersed with the Christmas Muzak at a mall near you.
Chanukah Fever Giveaway
Interested in mixing it up for your family this Chanukah season? How would you like to win your own copy of the CD? Mama Doni and Dad Blogs is offering on Dad Blogs reader the opportunity to do just that before it is released on November 24, 2009.
Ways to Enter:
Visit and comment: Visit Mama Doni's website, then leave us a comment here letting us know. (1 entry)
Additional Entries:
Facebook: Become a fan of The Mama Doni Band on Facebook and leave us a comment. (1 entry)
Twitter: Tweet about this contest and leave a comment here that you did with your twitter status link for that tweet. You can tweet this by using the tweetmeme button at the bottom of this post and can tweet up to five times, but each tweet must be posted on different days. (1 entry)
Subscribe: If you haven't already (and, really, why haven't you?), subscribe to either the Dad Blogs RSS feed, the SteelyDad RSS feed or the Real Men Drive Minivans RSS feed. Leave a comment here saying which feeds you subscribed to so we can add them to your total. (1 entry each, max of 3)
That makes a total of 10 possible entries into the Chanukah Fever Giveway drawing, so get cracking!
Contest Rules:
- All entries/comments must be received/posted by Monday, November 9th at 11:59pm
- The winner will receive a copy of Mama Doni's 'Chanukah Fever' album on CD.
- There will be a random drawing on Tuesday, November 10th at 2:00PM EST with the winner to be chosen via random.org
If you have any questions about the contest or how to enter, just drop me an email at pj at realmendriveminivans dot com or hit me up on Twitter @pjmullen.
Thanks again to Steely Dad for handling today's column, he really knocked this one out of the park. Give him a big round of applause!
A friendly word about this review. I did receive this CD free of charge, however this review was written without being promised anything, offered anything or guaranteed anything. I was not offered anything promised or guaranteed, promised anything offered or guaranteed and was most certainly not guaranteed anything promised or offered. If you didn’t understand this, watch the movie ‘Say Anything’.
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written by ciara, October 29, 2009
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written by ciara, October 29, 2009
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written by Melisa with one s, November 03, 2009
Do I have to leave separate comments for all of these entries? Let me know if I need to split this up:
I visited the Mama Doni site: she likes to dress up in costume, doesn't she?
I became a fan on Facebook.
I already subscribe to the Dad Blogs feed, the Steely Dad feed, and PJ's feed.
Be back in a minute, after I tweet it!
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written by eyesofbabes, November 04, 2009
http://twitter.com/home/? status=Reading+@dadblogs+These+are+not+your+Mama's+Chan
ukah+songs:+a+review+and+giveaway+http://tinyurl.com/yhw9mor
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written by Melissa D, November 07, 2009
Thanks!
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written by Aline, November 08, 2009
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written by Jamie, November 08, 2009
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written by artsweet, November 09, 2009
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written by Becca, November 10, 2009
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written by Becca, November 10, 2009
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