Price Tag: $15.00
Official URL: www.boggandsalty.com
Rating:

The pirate crew of the Pollywogg are back with their fourth album, packed with catchy tunes that are not only clever and funny, but offer practical every day advice (you know, stuff like “Don’t drink sea water” and “Never smile at a crocodile.”)

SONGS

If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of the Portland-based rock band Captain Bogg & Salty, but after a listen to this CD, there’s little wonder how they’ve been delighting kids and parents alike for the last decade with their music. The sound is what I like to call Pop & Rock: uptempo, high energy, rock and roll built on catchy hooks.

This CD is comprised of 12 tracks: Emphatical Piratical, Don’t Drink Sea Water, Port Side, Treading the Seas for Pirate Gold, Bunnyjacks, Frogg Island, Purple Tiki, Sea Monster II, Never Smile At A Crocodile, Waltz of the Waves, and Who’s At Captain’s Table.

The title track is set to the frenetic tune of Offenbach’s Galop Infernal (the Can-Can song), while the rest of the CD runs the gamut from rock to roots reggae (“Frogg Island”) and ska (“Sea Monster II”). The band never stray from their characters, and most of the songs are delivered in the “aarrgghh!”-y twang you typically associate with pirates.

PACKAGING

The packaging is typical CD packaging: a plastic case with a fold-out insert. The booklet contains cute cartoon renditions of the band members, as well as a fold-out treasure map of Frogg Island, home port of our swashbuckling crew.

ABOUT

Captain Bogg & Salty is a 5-piece band based in Portland, OR, whose members have backgrounds in musical theater, sketch comedy and children’s theater. They have been together for over 10 years and can regularly be found performing their pirate rock in schools and libraries, as well as in rock clubs for an adult audience.

BOTTOM LINE

A lot of music created for kids grates on the nerves, is overly treacle or cheesey. Not so on Emphatical Piratical! Because the group is a rock band first and foremost, you can tell they aim to create good music that both kids and adults can enjoy. Because of their theatre backgrounds, the lyrics are smart, witty, engaging and educational. These are the kinds of songs you’ll learn the lyrics to quickly and won’t mind listening to again and again on repeat, as kids are often wont to insist upon. Although the music sounds good enough to be played on Top 40 radio, it is squeaky clean, so parents need not worry about the lyrical content. This CD will be a big hit with the kid who is obsessed with pirates, as well as those who just like to jam out to great tunes!