Mixtape: 22 of the best family-friendly songs of 2019

With another year almost in the bag, it’s time to reflect on what has been another wonderful year of family-friendly music.  

We were treated to a huge stack of great music throughout 2019, from blockbuster movie soundtracks to emerging indie artists. Kinderling has managed to compile a list of the top 22 tracks, which you can read about below.

For an extended list, head to their Spotify playlist, or download their free app to listen to the official Best of 2019 Kinderling Mixtape anywhere, anytime.

1. Back in the Day – Howie D

Yep, one of the Backstreet Boys put out a family music album in 2019 – and it’s pretty great! Howie gets nostalgic on this track, reminiscing about growing up in the 80s, with shout-outs to Frogger and Pacman.

2. The Box – Regurgitator’s Pogogo Show

When we first heard legendary Australian band Regurgitator was morphing into a family music side project, we were pretty excited! Regurgitator’s Pogogo Show didn’t disappoint, producing an album as wonderful and whacky as you’d expect, with songs about family, friendship and farts. Check out their stinky Sandpit Session at Kinderling HQ!

3. Music Makes Me Happy – Mikey Mike & The Hip-Hop Kids

Michael Martin, one half of Albury-based duo Mouse & Moo, went solo this year, releasing a kid-hop classic that sums up how we feel about music!

4. Family – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

This track by Tennessee troubadour Drew Holcomb and his band is the perfect Kinderling hit. Upbeat, catchy, and all about families.

5. Traveling Band – Josh Lovelace

Also hailing from Tennessee, Josh Lovelace put out a fantastic album in 2019. Traveling Band is an up-tempo, feel-good highlight from the album, inspiring dreams and shouting out his favourite artists like Elton John, Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin.

6. The Letters – Daniel Tashian

Completing the Tennessee trifecta is Daniel Tashian. In 2018 he produced Kacey Musgrave’s Grammy-winning album Golden Hour. This year, he made his first family music record, a delightful album featuring his three daughters as backup singers.

7. Mr. Potato – The Vegetable Plot

Kinderling favourites, The Vegetable Plot, returned with a fresh harvest in 2019. Season Two is a sensational album – sonically rich, and showing off some seriously impressive musicianship. It’s also wonderfully entertaining, with the hilarious Mr. Potato one of the best cuts.

8. Five Fingered Family (Anindilyakwa) – The Wiggles feat. Emily Wurramara

Emma Wiggle teamed up with Kinderling favourite Emily Wurramara for a special bilingual version of the classic Five Fingered Family. This one is sung in English and Anindilyakwa, a language from Groote Eylandt off the Northern Territory.

9. In Control – Baker Boy

We were thrilled when energetic Darwin-born rapper Baker Boy finally released a track with 100% kid-safe lyrics. This empowering track was one of our most played songs of the year.

10. Everybody’s Crazy (Father Funk Remix) – Formidable Vegetable feat. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

Australian permaculture purveyors and multi-genre musos Formidable Vegetable brought some fresh beets to our ears this year. This track features US Kid Hop legend Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and got an energy boost through a Father Funk remix.

11. ‘Bop!’ – JoJo Siwa

Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa kept the hits coming in 2019 – and yep, this song is a total bop!

12. And the Crowd Goes Wow! – DJ WILLY WOW!

Some fire hip hop from the US as former White House kids entertainer DJ WILLY WOW! released his debut album And the Crowd Goes WOW! The title track arguably packs in more energy than any other song we heard this year.

13. Pets Are Great – Emily Who

A newcomer to kids music, Emily Who released adorable debut album A Day for Adventure towards the end of the year. This track perfectly captures what Emily is about – fun, catchy, cute tunes your little ones will be singing along to in no time.

14. ‘A You’re Adorable’ – Diana Panton

Canadian jazz singer and JUNO winner Diana Panton brings us her delightful take on this vintage hit.

15. Nali – Dan Sultan

The inimitable Dan Sultan turned his attention to family music this year and released an instant classic in Nali & Friends. Title track Nali introduces us to both the protagonist of the album, an arctic wren with a crooked wing, but also Dan’s incredible vocal range.

16. Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Beyonce, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen

In a year full of huge family movies, arguably the biggest soundtrack came from The Lion King remake. When you get Beyonce and Donald Glover on a Disney classic, we’ll pay attention!

17. Lukunhirranmirri – Gunyangara

An East Arnhem kids anthem emerged from a school holiday project in Gunyangara community. Lukunhirranmirri celebrates culture and language, and gets us up and dancing at Kinderling HQ!

18. Lightning – Bag Raiders feat. Kite String Tangle

The legendary Sydney dance duo returned with their first album in nine years. Lead single Lightning instantly hooked us and stayed on our playlist all year long. We even put Jack from the duo to work here at Kinderling, asking him to curate a mixtape of his favourite beats for us.

19. Aquarium – Andrew & Polly

Andrew & Polly make high quality, hilarious family music. Their 2019 album Go for the Moon features a re-make of the Smash Mouth song All Star, a highly relatable, feel-good hit about family, and this absurdly funny song about a day out at the aquarium.

20. A.O.K – Adrian Eagle

Adelaide-born singer Adrian Eagle exploded onto the scene in 2019 with this feel-good anthem. He’s also picked up an ARIA nomination for it.

21. Embrace – Pevan & Sarah

Australian kids duo Pevan & Sarah returned with a new album in 2019, with the body-positive single Embrace becoming a huge hit in the kids’ music charts.

22. Twang – Mason Ramsey

One of the feel-good stories of 2018 was Mason Ramsey’s rise from casual Wallmart yodeller to Coachella-performing, major label stardom. Twang is an adorable follow-up to last year’s breakout releases.

This article was originally published on Kinderling. Read the original article here.