“Hello Friend” — the fourth album of children’s music from The Hollow Trees — is quintessential Americana and the perfect soundtrack for your Fourth of July BBQ. It is a rip-roaring hootenanny with a mix of original tunes and covers that span an array of high-energy red-white-and-blue genres: folk, bluegrass, country, and jug band. “I Can’t Dance (I’ve Got Ants in My Pants)” is a rollicking, kazoo-y song that will get everyone laughing and singing along with its repeat-after-me style of lyrics, while “The Whole Thing,” a call-and-response song, delighted me with its variety of words employed to describe just how much is wanted.
“Hello Friend” will bring a smile to your face.
“Hello Friend” CD by The Hollow Trees, $11.99, iTune
