Album Notes

The magnificently indefinable Asylum Street Spankers stand as one of America's most distinctive live groups. With an all-acoustic mix of genres hailed by Rolling Stone as "inspired, lunatic brilliance," what other band can boast of appearances on both NPR's All Things Considered and The Bob & Tom Show?

Mommy Says No!, the group's sixth studio album, features an inspired approach to childhood that one pundit likened to "Dan Hicks meets Dan Zanes." In the best tradition of classic Warner Bros. cartoons, the album is full of the sort of inside joke that will appeal to the Spanker's decidedly adult fans, even while the disc's sounds and themes catch the ears of children.

Though family-friendly, Mommy Says No! pulls no punches in musical sophistication or songwriting. Addressing childhood from both kids' and adult perspectives, the songs nod to Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and Shel Silverstein in their clear-eyed view of the joys and anxieties of being a kid. Gorgeously produced, it's a rich listening experience for kids of all ages.