This recording is a wild adventure of upbeat original music for children, pulling from the contemporary folk, blues, jug band, and rock-and-roll genres. The Imagination Workshop Band exhibits female and male vocals, and a broad array of instruments including, guitar, bass, harmonica, drums, fiddle, mandolin, kazoo, and piano. Children also join in the band, singing one song on the album.

This album offers primarily original songs. The two familiar classics that are included have radically different tunes. Mary, Mary is the band's pop-rock version of Mary Had a Little Lamb, the ABCs take a bluesy turn, and This Old Man begins with a mellow beat that suddenly breaks in to a full out rock-and-roll song where only the lyrics match the original. This Old Man also features two rockin' solos, for the harmonica and guitar, warning listeners before the solo which instrument will be features so children can learn to associate the sound with the proper instrument. I'm Home is the mellower tune on the album, with piano, flute, and a simple repeating chorus, "I'm home, and I love it." The French song, La-La Fais Do-Do features fun tunes by Schlomo on the fiddle and accordion. The band's theme song, Imagination Is Where It's At is a catchy tune with whistling that listeners will find themselves humming long after the CD is through. The band members create an intimate feeling with the listeners by introducing themselves individually, clarifying who plays which instruments, and joking around with one another throughout each song.

The songs on this album live up to the band's name and truly do encourage listeners to exercise their imagination. The title song, Subway Train has the band members asking listeners to warm up their imagination by pretending they have an ice cream cone. They are instructed to imagine what it smells and tastes like until it feels like they really have one. This is the one song on the album where children are heard singing, which will encourage your child to jump right in, sing, and clap along. In case your little one is still being shy, Everybody Clap Your Hands directly invites them to "C'mon and join our band and clap your hands." Once everyone's imaginations are fully engaged, Suzi Shelton asks everyone to grab their flashlights and join her in a Dragon Hunt. She takes listeners on the adventure of climbing a tree, wading through a stinky swamp, crossing and old rickety bridge, and sneaking into a cave to find the dragon sleeping. Your child will very likely have favorite songs after the first listen, and want to hear these songs many times through.

My friend's three-year-old daughter, Hanna, said she likes to listen to this CD '100 times a day because she loves it so much.' Hanna's mom confirmed that she does like to put it on in her play room almost every day, whether she's singing along with it or has it in the background while she plays.

--Audra

Imagination Workshop Band began in 1997 as a public program for the Children's Museum of the Arts in New York's Soho. Band members include Suzi Shelton, Lou Gallo, Albert Elias, and Shlomo Pestcoe. Subway Train was released in 1997 on the Imagination Workshop record label. It is the first of two CDs by The Imagination Workshop band before one of the founding members, Suzi Shelton, moved on to a successful solo career.