Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children

Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children
Studio album by
Martha Davis
ReleasedJanuary 2010 (2010-01)
StudioClean Sheets Music
GenreChildren's music
Length24:00
ProducerMartha Davis
Martha Davis chronology
Beautiful Life
(2008) 		Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children
(2010)

Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children is the fourth solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels.[1][2][3] Red Frog Presents…, a children’s album, is a departure from Davis' other solo albums that explored autobiographical themes. The cover was designed by artist Alicia Justice and depicts a family listening to the radio with the title character Red Frog.[4]

The inspiration for Red Frog Presents… occurred about twelve years before the album’s release, as Davis lamented that her grandchildren were listening to Barney & Friends:[4][5][6]

"It was just horrifying…especially because when I was a kid, my first favorite album was Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. I remember seeing Fantasia when I was little, so I know that kids love beautiful, imaginative stuff. The storybooks that I had didn't pull any punches. People died. They didn't try to make everything safe and pretty and stupid for kids."[4]

As a result, the album explores various musical genres such as jazz and baroque. Davis even provides narration and embodies all of the characters on Red Frog Presents….[7] As she described, "I was a kid of the Warner Brothers cartoons…I grew up with that stuff. I have a crazy imagination, so it seems to make sense. As dark and brooding as some of my songs are, I'm pretty much a goof ball!"[4]

Track listing

Martha Davis (vocals, guitar)[8]

  1. "Finnias T. Rabbit"
  2. "Dragon Soup"
  3. "Professor Owl"
  4. "Sallymander"
  5. "Goat"
  6. "Orangutango"
  7. "She's A Cow"
  8. "Black Mamba"
  9. "Francois the Flying Squirrel"
  10. "Chupacabra"
  11. "Francis Bacon"
  12. "Beulah"
  13. "Lady Spider"
  14. "Fireflies"
  15. "Hole Beneath My Bed"
  16. "Red Frog"

References

  1. ^ "The Motels Information Site". www.the-motels.info. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  2. ^ "Last Few Beautiful Days: Interview with Martha Davis of The Motels – Where Music Meets The Soul". Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  3. ^ Borders, Lindsey (2018-05-22). "Martha Davis of The Motels discusses the band's new album, artwork & guitar". Guitar Girl Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  4. ^ a b c d "20 Questions: Martha Davis". PopMatters. 2010-01-26. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  5. ^ Valcourt, Keith (2011-05-03). "Martha Davis of The Motels: Not Checking Out". Rockerzine. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  6. ^ "Bloodletting - Interview with Martha Davis of the Motels". 74.208.152.204. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  7. ^ "Martha Davis: In Total Control". RockCellarMagazine. 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  8. ^ "Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs For Parents And Children". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-08-13.