Meet Mr. Loops by Mr. Loops

In his debut album, Mr. Loops, also known by his alter ego Jon Lewis, explores combines narration and a story with some good music that appeals to both kids and adults/ parents.

The album begins with the title track. It is half narrated and half sung, combining Mr. Loops narration is a pseudo Mid-Atlantic style, setting up the album and himself amidst a chorus of kazoos, whistling, percussion instruments and a variety of others. Immediately it paints a picture of a bunch of kids playing and having fun in a classroom, complete with the adult singing along with the baritone sound “Mr. Loops” throughout.

The story of album is simple, with Mr. Loops and a group of kids waking up and having a fun day, including a trip to Grandma’s house to eat some pumpkin pie. The next song that begins journey is “Hello Day” that has a great accompanying video on YouTube. It starts with the obligatory waking up sounds; harps, alarm clocks, sun rising, roosters, and birds that will instantly put a smile on your face. The narration discuss Mr. Loops waking up for the day, and how he stays positive by reciting “Hello day” whenever he wakes up. The album kicks off with a great beat, with an excellent mix that made a surprisingly full sound. Beginning with this track and throughout the album, you can hear Mr. Loops and the chorus of… Well himself, singing along, switching between spoken sing-song and some interesting melodies. The pop rock sound stays throughout the album, giving a nice musical continuity.

The following track is all narration. Mr. Loop’s hat is stolen by a bird and it eventually winds up near a bear, “Gary The Not So Scary,” (played by Jacob Robinson) who is sleeping. Dialogue between Mr. Loops and his friends is very sweet and genuine. The track ends with Mr. Loops commenting on the sounds around him, leads into the next song.

“The Sound Song” immediately follows, and it comprises of Mr. Loops singing about how great the sounds of the universe are, and how important it is to enjoy the sounds that happen all around us everyday. This track in particular showcases the dynamic between the kids’ and adult styles. There are choruses aplenty, as with the other tracks, but in this one, mostly of them are frolicking nonsense syllables, but this pairs with a nice melody complete a nice melodic turn on “ear” a couple times in the opening lines. Narration also makes an appearance, with Mr. Loops asking the kids to identify the sounds they hear, which include a lot of birds.

“The Friendship Song” follows, with a lot of kids joining him on this one. This track features the most pop punk/ alt rock feel, not surprising giving the influences of Jon Lewis Band members playing along, Dave Drago and Jake Walsh. It’s a nice touch on a friendship song, discussing forming and maintaining (as adults know, this is the hard part) friendships through the good and the bad. The bridge having a funk and offbeat feel with a “struttin'” sound was a cool and unexpected change towards the end.

The kids and Mr. Loops finally make it to Grandma’s house in “Pumpkin Pie,” where they receive some award-winning pie from her (Heather Taylor), and discuss what they want to do when the kids grow up. This leads into “Who Will You Become,” a song about growing up and finding yourself, and no matter what you do, you will be great. It features cute samples of kids saying what they want to be when they grow up. The audience is treated to a nice organ line.

Finally, as the day of Mr. Loops and the kids come to a close, he sings a song, “Golden Rule,” which is about being yourself and treating others nicely. The sound shifts in this tune; immediately the music switches to an earthy Creedence Clearwater Revival sound, somehow. It was a surprise, and yet it worked.

In all, “Meet Mr. Loops” is an album that kids can enjoy, and it guaranteed for a giggle and a smile on the faces of parents and adults. True to Jon Lewis’s word, Mr. Loops produces good music that just so happens to be for kids, complete with nice groove, instrumentation, vocal harmony, and melodies.

The coloring book includes scenes from the albums story in a charming package.

You can look at his Facebook profile here:

MR. LOOPS

You can order his CD here:

http://www.meetmrloops.com/