Rumpus in my Rompers: A review

Rumpus is my Rompers is a children’s album for parents who hate children’s music. Classics like ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and ‘Ring-a-Ring a Rosy’ are fine for the first 10 minutes or so, but anyone with young children will know that you can’t listen to a song just once (especially if you are unfortunate enough to have a CD player in your car). Soon the originally upbeat music becomes slightly sinister and never ending, much like the Magic Roundabout theme tune, and you’re forced to turn it off (often to cries of ‘no Mummy!’ from the backseat).

Luckily, Angela and Andrew Scullin have saved us all from this musical nightmare by creating a selection of children’s songs that can actually be listened to more than once and which you will eventually know as well as the kids. Rumpus in my Rompers takes everyday battles with young children, such as sitting down for dinner or brushing their teeth, and tries to remove the stress by putting it to music. A good example of this is ‘Bye Bye Dummy’. Now, if you have ever tried to take away a dummy from a 3 year old then you will be fully aware that “you’re a big boy now, you don’t need it anymore” rarely works. But when someone puts the same line to music, and gives it a jazzy beat, then they are much more likely to listen. Or at least sing along.

“Lovely wee wee on the toilet”

All the songs are based around similar challenges you might face and each one has a different message, whether that be to wash your hands after going to the toilet or to try and use the potty instead of a nappy. As you can see a lot of the songs are based around hygiene, but when you have a 2 year old this is often the main battleground. The language used is very child-friendly and age appropriate, so watch out what you’re humming in public because it could very well be “you’ve done a lovely wee wee on the toilet”.

It’s not only the lyrics that make these songs memorable though, it’s also the music. Each song has its own style, which ranges from rhythm and blues to pop and even to rap, and all sung brilliantly by Angela and Andrew. There are some elements of musical theatre in the songs, but personally I think that’s just the right style and it’s what makes them catchy and easy to remember. One of my favourite songs on the album is ‘5 Little Monkeys’, because it has a very memorable tune and I can imagine singing along with it in the car.

Since this album was born out of the desire to force their daughter to ‘free the poo’, I think Angela and Andrew have done an amazing job. Anyone who has ever spent any time with young children will definitely appreciate the subjects talked about in these!

This is a re-release of Rumpus in my Rompers and you can download it from ITunes.