Chicago Parent

April 2000
by Fred Koch

I'm excited to be spreading the word about some new releases that are shining stars in an ever increasing crowd of children's music contenders. These projects stand head-and-shoulders above the rest, and I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoyed discovering them.
What an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise Gunnar Madsen's Old Mr. Mackle Hackle turned out to be. This is some of the freshest, funniest and most inventive children's music to come out in a long time!
Madsen is a co-founder of the a cappella group The Bobs, and is an award-winning actor, composer, and pianist. He even provided the singing voice of Sammy Davis Jr. In the film "The Rat Pack." But he absolutely shines on this, his debut children's album. His vocal prowess is simply amazing: I had to look at the liner notes to make sure it was him doing all the vocal acrobatics.
From the first listen you'll be singing along to catchy songs such as the bouncy, feel-good "Summertime is Here," the rockin' dinosaur tribute "Born To Chew (We Eat Meat)" and the quirky "I'm a Little Twerp." Other outstanding cuts include the hilarious "Chicken Road," "Tiny Mosquito", which is sung from the mosquito's point of view in a melodramatic opera-esque style, and "Elephant Traffic Jam," which offers a musical tip of the hat to Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk."
This is about as cutting edge as children's music gets. It's intelligent without being preachy, humorous without being childish and musically eclectic. No wonder Old Mr. Mackle Hackle has already collected a bunch of awards and rave reviews. I just hope Madsen has some more songs up his sleeve.