Music Review: Kimya Dawson kids CD for adults too

Kimya Dawson and Friends, "Alphabutt" (Almost Gold/Columbia)

Kimya Dawson came of age on the soundtrack for the hit movie "Juno." Now she translates her minimalist, coffee-shop style to a children's album, "Alphabutt" and it's no surprise it works.

But the question remains: Who is this album for? Children, or their too-hip parents?

The songs themselves are short, cutely crafted and probably unlike anything you've got in the playing rotation for your 3-year-old. These songs explore hairy armpits, student loans, world hunger and the alphabet learned with the help of potty-room lyrics and alliteration.

The album begins with the fun ditty "Little Monster Babies," a 1 minute, 27 second ode to fun levels of destruction the toddlers can bring to the home before they conk out.

The story lines get stronger with songs like "Bobby-O," perhaps the best track on the disc. Children play percussion in the background while Dawson sings of Bobby-O, "skinny younger brother of Fabio," who takes his horse Rambo down to Mexico looking for work.

It's a great sing-a-long, but the Dick Dale surf guitar riffs and adult theme reinforces the notion that parents that grew up on 10,000 Maniacs and The Smiths might enjoy this more than their little alternative brood.

Dawson's effort is admirable for parents who are looking for something quirky. She's no Laurie Berkner, but she'd good.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Sunbeams And Some Beans" is a sweet track about sharing and world hunger and the coming of age of a weatherman who learns that you have to be a part of the solution instead of standing on the sidelines - if you really care. In the end, he does.