Kidz Bop 19

Can you believe it, Kidz Bop is turning 10 this year! Just like The Pea! She'll be tickled pink to know that, because she's a big fan of their music. And it looks like a lot of other kids are, too, because their latest album, Kidz Bop 19, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Children's Chart. Here's a snippet from their press release:

The Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #2— the 12th KIDZ BOP title to debut in Top 10 since the series launched in 2001. This is the highest charting debut for a KIDZ BOP album since the release of KIDZ BOP 9 in 2006, which also hit #2 on the overall Billboard Chart. Defying current music industry trends, sales of KIDZ BOP albums have grown nearly 40% over the past 24 months, while overall music industry sales are down more than 20%. The brand’s tremendous growth can be attributed to the company’s strategic extension of the franchise beyond traditional music sales, including the launch of its safe social networking site for kids and tweens, KIDZBOP.com, and the KIDZ Star USA Talent Search, America’s biggest national talent search for kids ages 15 and under. 2011 also marks the 10th anniversary of the KIDZ BOP brand, and its latest release kicks off a year-long celebration, which will be supported by the launch of new products, promotions and online initiatives.

KIDZ BOP 19 also debuted at #1 on the Billboard Children’s Chart, where there are currently two other KIDZ BOP albums in the Top 10. The new release follows a chart-topping 2010 where KIDZ BOP 18 was the #1 Kids’ Album of the year (KIDZ BOP 17 was #2) and the KIDZ BOP Kids ranked as the #1 Kids’ Artist of the year, according to Billboard.


We were sent a copy of Kidz Bop 19 to review; here's what we thought of it:

The Basics
Kidz Bop 19 includes 16 of today's biggest chart-topping hits 'sung by kids for kids'. Here's the track list:

1. DJ Got Us Falling In Love
2. Firework
3. Just The Way You Are
4. Dynamite
5. Cooler Than Me
6. Airplanes
7. Club Can't Handle Me
8. Bulletproof
9. Animal
10. Just A Dream
11. Magic
12. Mine
13. Please Don't Go
14. The Time
15. The Only Exception
16. Somebody To Love



The Bongga
Kidz Bop 19 is a bit hit -- my kids are driving me crazy playing it. The Pea dances to it almost every night! When I asked her if she was doing it for exercise, she responded with, "No, mama, I'm doing it for fun." The funny thing is, we already have the original versions of most of the songs on Kidz Bop 19 -- in fact, Firework, Just the Way You Are, Dynamite, Just A Dream and a couple more are some of their favorite songs -- but that doesn't stop them from listening to the Kidz Bop version every chance they get. I think it must be like enjoying different versions of the same song (you know how kids love repetition), so having the original version and the Kidz Bop version seem to complement each other.

The Blah
I've actually grown used to the Kidz Bop kids singing and I don't think it's annoying at all (okay, it's annoying when my kids play the cd four times in a row, but then that applies to any cd!) -- the only Kidz Bop song in #19 I cannot abide is Just The Way You Are. It's not that I'm particularly loyal to Bruno Mars (I actually prefer the Glee cast version), but having a girl sing it is just wrong. I can understand why parents might not like it, but since when did parents and kids ever agree on music?

The Bottom Line
There's a reason why Kidz Bop is the #1 kids music brand in the US -- just buy a copy of Kidz Bop 19 and see your kids' reactions after they listen to it, and you'll find out why.

Disclosure: I received a sample cd to facilitate my review, but was not paid to review the product or give my opinions. Press release was provided by KidzBop and is clearly indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.