Published on Mar 31, 2001
It’s a shame my four-year-old doesn’t know how to read or write
yet.
You see, I’ve just finished listening to
La Vida Mickey, a disc aimed at kids meant to capture the
popularity of the Latin music explosion, and the more I listened to
it, the more I realized I’m not the most qualified person to judge
its merits.
La Vida Mickey is not a disc meant for grown-ups’ ears. It’s
targeted strictly for the kiddies, who probably care more about
happily bopping around to the music and listening to the occasional
appearance of Mickey Mouse and Goofy on this disc. Despite all my
protestations that I’m nothing more than an overgrown kid, all I
can hear are remakes of the original songs… and I realize I’m not
as hip as I once was.
So, I have to try and put myself in the mindframe of, say, an
eight-year-old to listen to
La Vida Mickey, and forget about songs staying true to their
original versions. Once you drop back to an age where all you cared
about was getting your homework done so you could play street
football, it’s not a bad disc at all.
Let’s face it, the kids don’t really care who Lou Bega is, or
what the original version of “Oye Como Va” sounded like. They want
stuff they can listen to and dance to. I haven’t had the chance to
try this yet, but I’m going to put this disc on in the living room
to see how my daughter reacts to it. I’m willing to bet, dollars to
donuts, that she’ll be bouncing around the room when songs like
“Mickey’s Cup Of Life,” “Guantanamera” and either version of “Magic
Carpet Ride” comes blaring from my wife’s boombox. (Note to the
adults: MDO’s “Magic Carpet Ride” is not the Steppenwolf song of
the same name. Myra’s “Magic Carpet Ride” is her take on the
classic. Just helping you keep your musical scorecard
straight.)
Not everything that hits the CD bins at Best Buy is aimed for an
adult’s ears – and maybe that’s the way it should be. Discs like
La Vida Mickey are released for one sole purpose, and it
ain’t to make money. It’s to let kids be kids and to have fun,
convention and adult reasoning be damned. If the kids get a thrill
out of
La Vida Mickey, that’s really all that matters. I think it’s
a safe bet that this disc will pass that one all-important test
with flying colors.