Yancy and Friends – Little Praise Party: Taste and See

Yancy and Friends
Little Praise Party: Taste and See
Elevate Entertainment (release date: February 10, 2015)
www.yancynotnancy.com

By Bob Marovich

Yancy’s Taste and See is the fourth in the Christian singer-songwriter’s series of Little Praise Party CDs, a series that offers children fun and educational religious music that does not sound childish.

The songs work well with Yancy’s key demographic because they employ sugary melodies and infectious rhythms.  They contain messages that are both easy to follow and to sing. Eschewing the Barney-esque electronic rhythms that assume children have undeveloped musical taste, Yancy and her friends get their points across by brandishing buzzing guitars and thumping drums. There’s even a brief hip hop moment when “Gonna Serve” interpolates “This Little Light of Mine.” Yancy’s musky but inviting voice evokes Pat Benatar with a bit of a country twang that speaks to her Oklahoma roots.

While many of the songs are understandably uptempo and antiphonal—Yancy leading a cheerful children’s choir in sing-along choruses—the finest moment on the album is a tender and introspective solo ballad. “I Love You Lord” is Yancy simply and earnestly expressing her love for God without any apparent studio audience whatsoever. The title track is about finding God in beautiful things all around us, but with the first verse focusing on the deliciousness of fruit, perhaps the song may also encourage children to eat healthier.

Several songs toward the end of the CD are holiday related: “The Bunny Song” and “It’s a Happy Day” are about the true meaning of Easter, while “Best Present Ever” reminds young listeners that Christmas is not all about candy and toys but the birth of Jesus Christ.

Little Praise Party: Taste and See, both as CD and companion DVD, is a parade of two- and three-minute blasts of blessing aimed at invigorating the hearts and spirits of young people.

Three of Five Stars

Picks: “I Love You Lord,” “Taste and See.”