Little Miss Ann has been played across the U.S. including Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, Gooney Bird Kids, WLUW kidsplay, and The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl.

Little Miss Ann (Ann Torralba)

The lowdown: A folk rocker with tasty influences: Rickie Lee Jones,
Joanna Newsom, Pink Floyd ("early Pink Floyd," she stresses) and The
Beatles.

Not kidding: As mom to 5-year-old Olivia, Little Miss Ann has
truesidewalk-chalk cred. She started singing to Olivia's play group four years
ago; prior, she played Empty Bottle and Schubas in the quirk-folk outfit
Jank. Her former day gig? Working with autistic public school kids.

Why we like her: On her CD "Music for Tots," Torralba brings tender
invention to chestnuts such as "Pirate Ship"; the original "Moon Jelly"
oozes toy xylophone zing. She uses Olivia on backup vocals and husband
Patrick Milani on drums. Plus, she hopes to be a role model for female
and Philippine-American artists.

Next gig: Noon April 29 at the Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave. $5
(includes hot dog or pizza slice and juice box); 773-281-4444.

Info: www.myspace.com/littlemissann100

Grade: B+. By picking up a guitar and playing children's music, Little
Miss Ann redefines "supermom."

Music for Tots by Little Miss Ann (Ann Torralba) is a fabulous album by a teacher from Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. With a mix of traditional songs and Torralba originals, the album has a folk-rock feel with rich vocals and a beautiful mix of simple instrumentation (guitar, pan flute, tin whistle, percussion, bass). Torralba's cover of "You Are My Sunshine" is one of the album's high points, but all 10 tracks are enjoyable. Again, nothing overtly educational or instructive here -- just an artist who knows from experience how to engage young children with music. You can hear sample tracks and order here.

I-tunes

Napster

Rhapsody

Cdbaby.com

Pokeypup.com

theavcafe.com (soon)

Land of Nod stores

Old Town School of Folk Music stores (Chicago)

BeBybaby stores (Chicago)

Lauri's Planet of Sound (Chicago)

Cups cafe (Chicago)

http://kidsmusicthatrocks.blogspot.com/2007/01/little-miss-ann.html

Sunday, January 14, 2007
***Little Miss Ann***

OK, we all know the superpop kids' album thing can be done, and done well (see Morgan Taylor's Gustafer Yellowgold, Doug Snyder's the Jellydots, Lee Feldman's STARBOY, etc.). So, after hearing several amazing records geared toward, say, six- to ten-year-olds, it's refreshing to find a nice little CD like this. Little Miss Ann's Music for Tots is exactly that: tunes your littlest music fans can recite, sing with and dance along to.

Ann Torralba is an alumnus of Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, home of the Wiggleworms children's music programs and creator of two CDs chock full of traditional folk songs. Torralba and her husband have recorded an album of songs that are really ... well, for lack of a better term, groovy, but I mean that in the best way possible. The production is very warm and intimate, and there are lots of killer harmonies. Think Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention with less elaborate instrumentation and simpler vocal arrangements.

The album begins with Torralba's quietly welcoming "Hello", and follows with Arthur Hamilton's "Sing a Rainbow" from the movie Pete Kelly's Blues, but Torralba's arrangement, I swear, could have been a soda pop commercial in the early 70s. Next is "Pirate Ship", a great Toddler Time movement song; then comes Torralba's funky "Dance with Your Daddy", and a completely original arrangement of Jimmie Davis' "You Are My Sunshine".

The silly "Edamame", based on the traditional "I Had a Rooster", offers an international buffet for the listener (who knew tortillas and latkes grew on trees?), and the simple but extremely catchy adaptation of "There's a Little Wheel" coulda been a hit for Linda Ronstadt back in the mid-70s. The album ends with Torralba's "Moon Jelly", Elizabeth Cotton's "Freight Train", and the traditional "Golden Slumbers".

This is a cozy and fun CD worthy of any preschooler's music collection. Get one for their daycare or Kindergarten classroom, as well. I think they'll dig it.

With experience singing in Old Town School of Folk Music Wiggleworms classes, Chicago-based Ann Torralba would seem a logical choice for recording a CD targeted at the preschool set. And sure enough her debut kids' CD as "Little Miss Ann," Music For Tots, is geared for exactly those kids. A folk-poppy blend of traditional kids' songs, covers, and originals, the 22-minute disk is notable for its arrangements, which take out-of-the-ordinary approaches to familiar songs. Sometimes these arrangements sound great, such as on "You Are My Sunshine," which is given a different melody and jazzy percussion background, or "Pirate Ship," which employs a tin whistle to fun effect. Other tracks' arrangements aren't as endearing (the rhythm on the Pete Seeger-inspired "Edamame" was just, well, too angular, for example), but Torralba gets points for at least trying something different. (And I particularly enjoyed the Torralba originals.)

The disk is appropriate for kids ages 1 through 5. You can hear samples of all the tracks (and purchase the CD) here. With its reinterpretations of traditional songs, this disk would work really well in preschool programs. And while I don't think the CD will become the favorite of many families, Little Miss Ann's musical and lyrical re-interpretations on Music For Tots are good for the occasional sing-along for young families.

5 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewer: DAvid Dziedzic
My 11 month old daughter loves Classic Rock so I was a little scepticle that she would enjoy this. Man was I surprised! I put it in and we were rocking out for hours. Now she won't start her day untill I play at least a couple of the songs.

LOVE IT!!
Reviewer: Genevieve
We love this CD in my house and listen to it ALL the time. My daughters (ages 4 and 2)are always asking me to put it on so they can dance and I find myself humming the songs for the rest of the day. I'm not sure who likes it more!!!

5 out of 5 stars This CD rocks!!
Reviewer: Michele
Our family loves this CD. Every time we listen to it in the car, if I try to put on differnt music, my daughter (1 year and 1/2) signs "more." She and my son can't sit still when they hear it!

5 out of 5 stars Catchy fun for kids AND adults
Reviewer: Kathleen Kania
This is one of the few children's cds I have listened to when my son was NOT in the car. The songs are funny and catchy. My son has requested to play the cd over and over and neither of us is tired of it. He loves "The Pirate Song" and "There's a Little Wheel"; I love "Edamame" and "Dance With Your Daddy."

5 out of 5 stars Great fun. Great sounds. Lyrics for kids; melodies for all!
Reviewer: Deb Voss
With this combination of new twists on classic tunes and original tracks , "Little Miss Ann" has released the soundtrack of my life! Great fun. Great sound. Lyrics are for the kids; melodies and rhythms appeal to adults and kids alike. It's rare to find records that are rich and meaty balanced with lilting and lovely but Torralba as "Little Miss Ann" pulls it off. She rediscovers classics that we had almost forgotten and didn't know we adored—like the friend who dives into a thrift store, comes out with the shirt you wore for your class photo in the second grade and reminds you of the love and comfort you had in that shirt. She finds those tunes but recreates them. At the same time, her original tunes are instantly familiar. With this record, the spirit of a live performance is captured. We can hear her smile. We can hear her dance—and we can hear that she is wearing color, most likely lots of it. There's enough substance here—grit—to appeal to the parent who dreads kiddie tunes. But this is CD Baby so the true test is with the kids, yes? Well, it passed! The evidence? My girls, 3 and 5, are performing the two-part harmony to "Sing a Rainbow" and my kindergartener is constantly belting out "There's a Little Wheel" which, btw, rocks. I'm thinking of purchasing a copy for her teacher. All this after one week with the CD. Let's hope it's the first of many kids recordings for "Little Miss Ann."

5 out of 5 stars WOW and family music fest day!
Reviewer: Cathleen Gillies
Finally a kids cd that spreads joy and laughter that won't allienate parents. I found myself learning the tunes so I could keep up with my young singing neighbors. Where are the little miss ann t-shirts? This is the perfect gift for big sisters or brothers with newborn sibblings to sing with their parents as they get to know the new baby.

5 out of 5 stars WOW and family music fest day!
Reviewer: Cathleen Gillies
Finally a kids cd that spreads joy and laughter that won't allienate parents. I found myself learning the tunes so I could keep up with my young singing neighbors. Where are the little miss ann t-shirts? This is the perfect gift for big sisters or brothers with newborn sibblings to sing with their parents as they get to know the new baby.

4 out of 5 stars Good morning get moving music
Reviewer: Laura Guenther
The songs are short and fun! Perfect for our ride to daycare every morning. My 21 month old daughter really enjoys listening and I like to sing along.

5 out of 5 stars Love it!!!!
Reviewer: Heather
This is a great CD to play in the car. The tunes are upbeat and my kids love to sing along. My personal favorite is Edemame.

5 out of 5 stars a great alternative to Ella Jenkins!
Reviewer: Cheryl Cox
Not only do the 3-6 year-old children in my Montessori classroom enjoying dancing to "Pirate Ship", but my almost two-year-old daughter requests it every time we are in the car. "More Miss Ann!" "You Are My Sunshine" and "Dance With Your Daddy" are songs we hear over and over and we never grow tired of them. This is a great contribution to the world of kids music!