A new children’s album, “Zoology,” the debut of Los Angeles-based Mama B & Uncle T, released today, Oct. 22.
The album (a NAPPA Award winner) offers a zoological journey: A pink polka dot flamingo who’s proud of being different. Hippos that make swimming seem less scary. Giggling gorillas that bring joy to the bedtime routine. Toucans that include everyone. Zoology’s unique and joyful cast of characters teach empathy and love through seven imaginative tracks that follow a child’s journey through the whimsical world of the zoo. Watch the flamingo video here.
Jacq Becker (Mama B) and Travis Warner (Uncle T) are long-time friends and collaborators who, after becoming a mom and uncle, were inspired to create a fresh musical soundscape for their newest family members. As a musician, Becker found herself searching for timeless music that her family could enjoy together and decided to to create her own modern children’s songs that her son could sing and connect with. She enlisted the help of her long time collaborator, Travis Warner (Frith) and a former bandmate Connor Marks, who also has a young son and a knack for catchy melodies and phrases.
The three worked remotely together using voice memos to share ideas back and forth during production. She used her son’s development as a guiding light for the songs. If he was able to clap or snap or touch his toes, she would put it to song as a way for him to better connect his movements to the music. “Now more than ever, kids need a creative place to escape into music.” Becker says. “We hope our music will have kids moving, singing and using their imagination to create memorable musical experiences.”
The music is composed of message-driven lyrics, interactive movement, delightful melodies and organic contemporary production. The duo’s lush harmonies deliver the sweet and engaging animal-themed songs meant for little ones. The slow groove “Hippopotamus” is a soothing call and response song that encourages kids to join in the fun with a splash splash new dance. The peppy “Pink Polka Dot Flamingo” leads with a message of standing out and embracing your differences.
Acceptance, friendship and love are two themes throughout the song. “Toucan-a-rama” is a piano-driven catchy counting song that playfully speeds up as is goes on. The mellow “Gigglin Gorillas” tells the story of gorillas who are laughing too much to go to sleep and came from a silly play session Becker had with her son when he was a baby. “Goodnight Zoo” is a bedtime song that ends the album by saying goodnight to all the animals one by one, and the gentle music box instrumental “Sleep Tight” closes the collection.
Other “Zoology” collaborators include songwriter and music industry professional, Connor Marks, five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer and musician Cassidy Turbin and Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Dave Locke.
“Zoology” will be available Oct. 22 streaming on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music and anywhere families are searching for great music. For more on the project including music, lyric and performance videos, visit mamabunclet.com
Jacq Becker and Travis Warnerhave both been writing and performing for 15+ years. Jacq Becker is a singer/songwriter whose music can be heard in various film & TV productions such as Top 5 (starring Chris Rock) & Pretty Little Liars. She was formerly signed to a major record and publishing deal with Grammy-award winning producer, Redone. Travis Frith Warner is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer who performs primarily under his middle name, Frith. Both of his parents are educators – his mother started an art-centric preschool in their backyard when he was born, giving him a unique insight into children’s music. In 2020 he produced Skandra’s debut Album, including the breakout hit “Rivers” which garnered 1 million Spotify plays in its first 2 weeks.
