Ms. Rachel
In my What’s Spinning, I discussed what happens when you have kids who only want to listen to children’s music and have no interest in what adults (including myself) are listening to.

However, I do believe Ms. Rachel is somewhat unique among children’s music creators because her arranger/composer is Aron Accurso, who is a broadway/musical theater composer. Across every children’s song—including both originals and arrangements of basic nursery rhymes—he adds a level of musical sophistication that is absent from the originals.

He adds multiple vocal harmonies, interesting chord progressions, modulations, unique instrumentation, and a dramatic arc to the songs. For instance, they love to drop all the instruments at a climax, leaving only Ms. Rachel’s voice. There is careful attention to detail in the arrangements that isn’t present in other children’s music

• “Old MacDonald”: Features creative chord progressions over the “moo, moo here” section instead of a static progression, as well as a banjo solo.
• “The ABC Song”: Features interesting vocal harmonies, a built-in dramatic arc, a flat-VII chord progression, and a cello solo.

Hearing traditional nursery rhymes paired with the musical complexity of theatrical music makes listening as an adult far more engaging while entertaining your children. I much prefer listening to Ms. Rachel when entertaining my kids over other videos and songs on YouTube Kids.

Bob Marley
There was a comment noting that while I normally don’t listen to repetitive, groove-based music, I like Bob Marley.

I don’t believe Bob Marley makes me a general reggae fan, but I am a fan of Catch a Fire. I am still not entirely convinced that I enjoy the standard reggae beat, but Bob Marley is a talented songwriter who creates great melodies.
What makes Catch a Fire so special, however, is its production and atmosphere: the dense overdubbing, rock guitar solos, Moog synthesizer, clavinet keyboard, and reverb, along with a de-emphasis on the bass/rhythm section compared to traditional reggae. It gives the songs a floating, drifting atmosphere.
I think Catch a Fire is a great album in the same way Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde is. Blonde on Blonde has that “thin, wild mercury sound” unique to that specific record, and similarly, the “London Overdubs” are what make Catch a Fire so great. I doubt that loving this album says much about whether I’d like other albums in the genre. I do like Burnin’ and Exodus—predominantly because I appreciate well-written pop music—but they don’t strike me as truly great albums. Marley never replicated that specific sound again, and I don’t enjoy the rest of his discography as much as Catch a Fire.

The Ex + Tom Cora – Scrabbling at the Lock
This is a very unique album: punk/alternative rock mixed with Hungarian folk music. It reminds me of taking someone like PJ Harvey (Rid of Me) and adding Hungarian folk and cello on top of it. It’s one of those n=1 albums where virtually nothing else sounds like it. Tom Cora’s cello playing is exceptional throughout, adding a degree of melodicism across the whole project.

I think the first half of the album is fantastic and was on track to be an all-time classic. That’s where the vocal melodies, abrasive punk backdrop, and cello intertwine to create music that is both melodic and aggressive.

However, the second half feels somewhat weaker. The vocal melodies subside, with the vocalist shifting predominantly to a speak-singing style. That said, the tracks remain enjoyable because the cello continues to carry the melodies. The second half is sustained by the cello playing and the unique atmosphere of abrasive punk paired with cello, but the fundamental vocal songwriting isn’t quite at the same level.

If it maintained that initial standard from beginning to end, it would easily be a 13/15 or 14/15 album. Instead, due to the drop-off in the second half, it settles at a 12/15.