Catchy melodies, unique instrumentation, clever songwriting and fantastic live performances have already earned the Asylum Street Spankers a growing cult following amongst adults. Their old-timey sound and unabashedly crass, often profane lyrics are truly inspired -- but, up until recently, the content wasn't appropriate for family listening. However, the band's latest effort, "Mommy Says No, is an album specifically geared for the younger set -- a collection of original tunes about growing up, dreaming big, and boogers.

As with their grown-up fare, the group's phenomenal musicianship is on display in their children's material. Listen to the album all the way through, and you'll hear guitar, banjo, upright bass, washboard, fiddle, harmonica, percussion, ukulele, and a little bit of musical saw. All this underscores the evocative, character-rich vocals that drive the tunes along.

The lyrics on this album are also mostly entertaining -- "Be Like You," the album's opener, will tug at parents' heartstrings, "Mommy Said No," the title track, will make you cringe (in a good way), and "Boogers" will have both you and your kid in hysterics. But this is also the album's flaw -- especially for parents who enjoy the band's previous work. The Spankers' likability hinges on the combination of playfully innapropriate, foul-mouthed, and adult-themed lyrics with cutesy, kitschy, top-notch musicality. When they sing nonsense songs about frogs with super-powers and romance fueled by coveted lunchboxes, the result is a mix that's occasionally generic, annoying, or asinine -- not too different from the kids' music that makes your mind numb.

But for the most part, "Mommy Says No" is a great album. My daughter loves it -- she's become obsessed with singing along to "Boogers," and "Super Frog," and I find myself humming the tunes for days on end. Overall rating: 8/10

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