Jojo's Circus

Even though it can't capture the adorable visuals of Disney's hit preschool show Jojo's Circus, the soundtrack does feature vocal performances from the series' characters. Madeleine Martin, who voices the kindergartner clown Jojo, sounds like a real little girl because she is one, and her singing on songs like "Pop Up!," "Jump Swish and Shimmy," and "Rum Tum Tum" sounds refreshingly spontaneous. Most of the album's songs take well-known nursery rhyme melodies and recast them as the soundtrack to the adventures of Jojo, her pet lion Goliath, and the rest of her friends and family in Circustown. The pipe organs and zany brass that appear on virtually all the songs, including "Cotton Candy Sure Is Sweet" and "Where Is Dinky?" keep the circus theme running throughout the album without overstating it, and make songs like "Cannonball Jojo" particularly apt for active play. Jojo's Circus also keeps the length of its songs just long enough -- about a minute each, give or take -- to keep kids' attention and short enough to keep them interested. The mix of singalong songs and activity songs is balanced nicely, with enough songs for kids to sing and enough to keep them moving in ample doses. Much fresher and genuinely childlike than most of the albums that Disney releases nowadays, Jojo's Circus is a charming soundtrack from a charming show. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi