“Hope is a verb… hope is a wish… hope is a spell… hope is a prayer…” New Zealand kids’ artist Claudia Robin Gunn sings on one of the singles from her latest album, Firefly, recorded at No Parking Studios in New York with the help of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, producer Dean Jones. It’s a bit different from her past albums, which tend to have an impressive number of tracks about a theme, like animals or the sea, under her Little Wilds project. “I’m not good at leaving anything on the cutting room floor, cos every song is my favorite at the time, right? But it’s easier when you’re collaborating, isn’t it?” she said about this album.
And it is a streamlined version of Gunn’s impeccable children’s tunes: each of the songs is sweet, memorable, and filled with inspiration and indubitable rhythm. She’s not one who needs an editor—every song she makes is a hit in it’s own right. But the collaborative process has helped her to put together something that can be enjoyed immensely in one sitting. Even the best can benefit from an editor.
Her music has always surprised me with its accessibility to adults, and for a while, I forgot I was listening to a children’s album after I pressed play. But she covers kids’ themes as if she were a youngun herself, with songs about making new friends, riding scooters, being a firefly, and the list goes on. She puts her finger on the pulse of what it’s like to be a kid, with life’s shadows and intimidation, inviting children “Little by Little” into the adventure of life. And if there’s any time when we need affirmation instead of competition, it’s as a child, like she covers on the beautiful song, “Winning.”
Perhaps my favorite song on the album (though it’s hard to pick) is the second to last song, “Opposite Miracles,” which shows Gunn’s simple but clever word play. “Up is the opposite of down / Smile is the opposite of frown / Easy is the opposite of difficult / And miracles are everywhere if we look around.” She has an expert way with melody, but Dean’s added instrumentation steals the show on this album. Joined as well by her American friends Little Miss Ann and Suzi Shelton on “Colours,” this is an album that finds Gunn reaching out to her friends for help, and their contributions make it shine that much brighter. It is music to please the child and adult alike, as well as the child in us all.
Prism Reviews 