I've recently taken a liking to Indian Pop music. We finally saw Bend It Like
Beckham a few weeks ago, and I loved it. The music was great, so I bought the
soundtrack. Yeah, I know, we're 20 years after the movie release date, but we
have to wait for most things until they come out on DVD and usually until they
are a "week" release at Blockbuster, since we are oh-so bad at returning on
time. Netflix, I know, I know. I am currently stuck on a rotation of Nick Jr.'s
Greatest Hits, the Disney Princess Songs and Songs from The Land Before Time in
the car. I'm a sucker for hearing the kids sing along with their favorite
songs. My son's stentorian tones and stern disapproval should anyone else chime
in when he's busting out a solo are truly hilarious. Since they were tiny
babies, we have exposed them to all sorts of music, and like most kids, they
enjoy things with strong rhythm. We've done lots of Latin, they love Sturm und
Drang classical music, reggae and ska. We had a really good couple of weeks
when my dear friend in New Zealand sent us a CD by ESG "A South Bronx Tale".
That one is still getting heavy rotation. In fact, all three kids have unique
forms of dance/self-expression that just oozes out their pores and starts their
little butts wagging as soon as they hear a regular beat. They just can't
surpress the urge to start flailing around. My 5 year old does lots of posing
and ballet moves. My 4 year old prefers flapping and running in circles,
alternating with growling and stalking his sisters like a dinosaur. The 18
month old holds one arm out stiffly to the side and shakes her butt, or jumps up
and down. Par-tay! Back to the soundtrack. We've found a winner! I love the
ethnic flavor, and the unique instrumentation. There is actually a Hindi
language cover of Hot, Hot, Hot which has spawned a new family joke. Any given
moment, you can ask one of the kids: "How you feelin'?" And they will answer
"hot hot hot." Even the 18 mo old, although she says "ha ha ha" which is funny,
too. Not sure there is a point to this. It is just good to get some new music,
and I really like the fact that it puts me in mind of exotic ports of call and
bright colors, as opposed to the blah, homeowner's association approved house
colors and faded green lawns of our neighborhood. I need a vacation. But I'll
settle for watching the kids get down to ethnic pop music and dinner at an
Indian restaurant, sometime soon.