A Family Concert

I like The Roches. For (natural) angelic three-part harmony they're hard to beat, and their sense of humor has always been fresh. In this family concert filmed at Minneapolis's famed Guthrie Theatre, the sister trio perform a generous selection of tunes off their 1994 Parent's Choice award-winning album Will You Be My Friend? Drawing on folk, pop, blues and traditional music, the songs here range from whimsical ("Do the Boodanee," a dance song named after a cat) to kid-empathetic ("Disappointed" acknowledges a child's feelings when things don't turn out as promised). The set kicks off with "The Postcard," a delightful (friendly) invitation to visitors from outer space. The Music Workshop for Kids opens for The Roches and performs "Eat Your Fruit" and other songs from their Sky Blue Catfish album. Both kids and parents will enjoy this family concert, though overall it didn't meet my, admittedly, high expectations. The show had a distanced feel (and parts of it appeared to be dubbed), with not as much interaction between performers and audience as you would ordinarily find in a really rousing children's concert. Still, this is definitely a cut above standard children's fare, and is recommended for ages 5 and up. (R. Pitman)