Suzanne Jamieson: “Love Is…” (2024) CD Review

It all comes down to love, doesn’t it? I think everyone figures that out at some point, some perhaps a little too late. The earlier folks learn it, the better for all of us. And Suzanne Jamieson aims to teach children that lesson with her new children’s album, Love Is…, the music encouraging children to approach life and others with joy and love and compassion. Her previous children’s albums, 2014’s Shine: Lullabies For Everyone and 2020’s Bounce, won several awards. This new one features all original material, written by Suzanne Jamieson and Jason Rabinowitz, focusing on different aspects of love. The album has a fun pop sound, some of the songs having a bit of a 1980s vibe.

Suzanne Jamieson opens the album with “I Turn Towards Love.” The song begins with a list of some things she loves: “I love my brother/I love my cat/I love my Legos/And you know I love my bucket hat.” As for me, I love the big colorful coat she wears on the album’s cover. How could your day be anything but joyous when wearing something like that? This track has a pop sound that is as joyous as that coat. Plus, it features Ed Rosenberg III on horns. “I love myself/And you best believe I love you too/I know it is important/So I try to practice it daily.” This song ultimately has an empowering message, about being able to make significant change in the world by spreading love, something all of us, children and adults, sometimes need reminding of. It’s a choice each of us can make. And aren’t we all happier when we turn toward love?

Then “8 Hugs” has a strong pulse. We probably all recall hearing we’re supposed to drink eight glasses of water a day. Well, here the idea is to get eight hugs a day. Not a bad idea, and in this song that very thing is prescribed by her doctor. “She said you’ve got to get eight hugs a day/Yes, you’ll be amazed/Your energy will overflow/Your spirits will be raised.” I know some folks have pondered the question of whether a certain politician would be so horrible if he’d received more affection as a child. Hugs might go a long way to prevent children from developing into twisted sociopaths. And more immediately, the little ones will probably be dancing to this track. And their parents should join them. “What Is Love?” describes a girl who is teased by other children, but is befriended by one child. When kids hear this, I imagine they’ll align themselves with that one child, and if that carries over to real life, well, then the music has accomplished something, hasn’t it? As the song progresses, we learn that as they get older, the other child is teased. “He knew that he was different/Sometimes they called him names/So he tried hard to change who he was/But he kept drifting away.” She tells him, “You are just right,” another good message. Adults need to know it, so that they can teach it to their kids, as she sings toward the end. “Make sure you’re kind.”

“Best Bud” begins with an electronic sound and a dog barking. Yes, it’s a song about the love a child has for her dog. “You’re always really glad to see me/Kinda like it’s always a surprise, yeah.” Dogs have that kind of reaction, don’t they? How great does it feel to be welcomed home by a dog? And I suppose we might be a bit envious of dogs for being able to have a certain approach to life: “You live in the moment/With no worries, no regrets.” That’s followed by “Lift Each Other Up,” one of the album’s best songs, the music itself working to lift us up. It’s a song against the divisiveness of the times, reminding children that they all have a part to play. The message is delivered in the metaphor of a great big band, each member adding something to the song the band creates. “‘Cause when we see that each of us/Contributes to the sound/We’ll start lifting everybody up/Instead of knocking each other down.” Andy Baldwin provides the string work to this track. This track is over all too soon.

“It Is What It Is” is about how there are different words in different languages to describe the same things, that there are many ways to describe something without changing the thing. And it perhaps urges us to look at things with fresh eyes, to experience them anew. I can’t help but think of the lines from Romeo And Juliet, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other word would smell as sweet.” There is a kind of dreamy, magical vibe to this one. Then “Love At First Sight” is a totally fun song, with a great energy, with even a hint of punk pop to it at the beginning. I love that beat. There is a certain 1980s feel to this one, which I appreciate. And if you’re wondering, keeping the young audience in mind, the lyrics are about penguins. “Unconditional” also has a 1980s flavor. It is about love being unconditional. “Don’t always like what you say/Don’t always love what you do/But that’s just a raindrop in/The giant ocean blue/God knows I’m not perfect/Yeah, I know you know that’s true/But it doesn’t change the way/I’ll always feel about you.” I appreciate the humor of the line “Yeah, I know you know that’s true.”

Jason Rabinowitz of The Pop Ups joins Suzanne Jamieson on vocals on “Kid, I Love You,” a love song from a parent to a child. “You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in my life/Just to watch you grow and know you makes me feel alive/I’m your biggest fan, you know, I’m always on your side.” That’s followed by “Things Change,” a pretty song that tells children that some things will change and there will be difficult moments, but love remains. This track features a passionate vocal delivery, and some nice work on keys. And Andy Baldwin provides some good work on strings. The album concludes with “Sycamore,” which has a steady pulse from the start. It becomes a joyous and uplifting number on the chorus, and contains a positive message.

CD Track List

1. I Turn Towards Love
2. 8 Hugs
3. What Is Love?
4. Best Bud
5. Lift Each Other Up
6. It Is What It Is
7. Love At First Sight
8. Unconditional
9. Kid, I Love You
10. Things Change
11. Sycamore

Love Is… was released on July 19, 2024.