"All on a Sunday Afternoon" CD Review...

"The Sugar Free Allstars, whose easy-funky style presents a “high energy” sound acclaimed by Time magazine and a host of other national critics, released their third family CD All on a Sunday Afternoon on June 12th. These 10 new kid-friendly rhythm-and-blues songs will carry the whole family through a fun-filled weekend day, with the help of guest artists Marty Beller, Keller Williams, Trout Fishing in America and other luminaries. As a bonus, the music package includes a CD and full-length Sugar Free Allstars concert DVD, providing the next best thing to being at a live show.

The Sugar Free Allstars is Chris (Boom!) Wiser (lead vocals, keyboards, saxophones and more) and Rob (Dr. Rock) Martin (vocals, percussion), an Oklahoma City based duo that has been making funky-fresh music for families for more than five years. Their first family music CD, Dos Ninos, enjoyed regular plays on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio, and their 2010 release Funky Fresh and Sugar Free rocketed them into kindie rock stardom with national critical acclaim, radio airplay and awards. A recent collaborations with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo resulted in the hit single “Cooperate,” one of the songs on the 2012 Grammy Award winning album All About Bullies Big and Small.

The rock solid grooves on All on a Sunday Afternoon pay a deep tribute to America’s great musical heritage, particularly the golden eras of Motown and Stax Records. The first song, “Gotta Get Up," will surely raise up the sleepyheads, with power punch vocals by Jack Forman of Recess Monkey and Shawana Kemp of Shine and the Moonbeams. Kids will laugh along with the flat-tire beat of “Hiccup,” and the ‘70s dance party song “Love Train” is enhanced by Keller Willams’ expert guitar and kaosilator tracks. Marty Beller lays down percussion for the helpful "Put 'Em Away." Ezra and Keith from Trout Fishing in America contributed to the title song, which, musically, owes more than a little to Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” and New Orleans funk masters The Meters.

Amidst the high energy vibe of All on a Sunday Afternoon, a sentimental tone recurs, particularly in the send-up of the Talking Heads classic “Stay Up Late,” “99 Questions,” “Very Best Friend” and the wistful, growing-up song “Ready To Give Up Teddy.” Since beginning his career in family music, Chris Wiser has become a parent. “The experience of being a dad has added another layer to my songwriting,” he says. “There’s more sweetness and nostalgia in these songs than in our previous releases,” says the band’s songwriter, Hammond organ wizard and lead singer.

All on a Sunday Afternoon will be available from digital and retail stores for a suggested retail price of $12.99/ $9.99 digital."

Upcoming concerts

The Sugar Free Allstars plan an extensive summer tour, kicking off with shows at the Kansas City Jiggle Jam and a tour of 60+ libraries.They’ll also host Wiggle Out Loud, the first ever family music festival in Oklahoma City this fall.

Get updates at www.sugarfreeallstars.com

July 12-21: St Louis/Kansas City area tour

July 24-26: NW Arkansas tour

June 29: Kaiser Library, Tulsa, OK

Septemer1: Wiggle Out Loud Festival, Oklahoma City

What we thought:  Sugar Free Allstars team up with a variety of today's most beloved children's artists on this fun-filled funky CD:)  These songs really got the kiddos up, moving and grooving along with the silly songs and beats reminiscent of Motown, 70's dance party and more. We took this CD on a road trip and the whole family was entertained:)  ABCD Diaries gives "All on a Sunday Afternoon" an A+!

Disclosure:  ABCD Diaries was given a sample  for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.