Produced with the assistance of a Prince Edward Island PEI Arts Grant, Canadian fiddler/singer Gordie “Crazylegs” MacKeeman has released a fun, lively album of rollicking music that families can share with the kids. MacKeeman also adds banjitar, foot percussion, percussion and guitar. Mark Geddes, the album’s co-producer and recording engineer, sings and plays bass, drums, percussion and mandolin. Some members of MacKeeman’s band, Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys, make appearances on banjo and pedal steel (played by Tom Webb), guitar and vocals (Peter Cann), along with several other musical friends and family. When not performing, MacKeeman has worked for a decade as a daycare teacher, and he recognizes the many benefits of music and movement for all ages.

Folk for Little Folk draws from a repertoire of old-time, folk, bluegrass and even some classic country fare. Some instrumentals like “Chicken Reel” and “Listen to the Mockingbird” showcase Gordie sawing the strings. Standards like “Mama Don’t Allow,” “Hokey Pokey” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain” sit well between more unique offerings such as “Get Out There and Dance,” “Ladybug’s Picnic,” “Oo-De-Lally” and “Dancing in the Bathtub.” One album highlight is Wade Hemsworth’s “Log Driver’s Waltz,” although the vocals and lyrics suffer a tad in an arrangement that also includes accordion. Other standouts include the four pieces that MacKeeman had a hand in writing, “Snacciddent,” “Walking Along,” “Boogie Woogie Baby” and the graceful waltz, “Dreamland” that closes the album. All in all, these seventeen tracks are high-stepping, snappy fun.   (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)