Songs for Bubbas

Since announcing herself at age 21 with her chart-topping 2001 debut album Thinking Room, New Zealand’s Anika Moa has invested deep emotion in both breezy folk-pop and slow-burn rock. But she’s also made a fruitful detour into tunes specifically for kids, starting with 2013’s Songs for Bubbas. Singing in a mix of English and te reo Māori, Moa proves to be a natural fit for these light, playful selections. She clearly relishes making the various sound effects on “Animals in My Room” and slipping into the twangy gait of her bilingual update of “You Are My Sunshine”. Designed to settle little ones naturally at the end of the day, the album opens with the gentle “Colours Are Beautiful” and finishes with the lullabies “Go to Sleep” and “Sweet Dreams”. Rather than a one-off experiment, this album was popular enough to yield two more volumes of Moa’s distinctive, charming take on children’s music.