At the Bottom of the Sea
Ralph Covert may have sunk to the bottom of the sea for his second release, but he swished the sophomore slump aside in his wake. Here's a world as unwatered-down as its predecessor,Ralph's World, complete with psychic cats, caffeine-addicted parents, and heapin' helpings of b-b-bean soup and rice instead. In other words, the impossibly clever songwriting is back, and so is the catchy vibe and effortless-sounding folky delivery, something that extends to the cover tunes. Nobody, not even kids too young to be cartoon connoisseurs, tires of tra-la-laaing along with theBanana Splitstheme, and why hasn't anybody thought to capture Sinatra's swingin' yet suitable "Fly Me to the Moon" for kids before? As on the first record, the closing tune simultaneously conks you over the head with sentimentality and suffuses you with a sense of connectedness. Somewhere, clans of fulfilled yet fantastically kooky families thrive, and if they had to choose a champion, it'd be Ralph Covert.--Tammy La Gorce