NYC's Voltaire is many things: singer, songwriter, artist, movie maker, toy designer, unrepentant self-promoter...
but what he *really* is is an entertainer.
Anybody who's ever seen him perform will attest that he clearly loves being on stage charming the audience. And, like any good vaudevillian, he knows just how far to take the listener with his more "blue" material and when to put on a PG face.
Because of this it's actually a bit surprising that "Spooky Songs for Creepy Kids" is his first collection aimed for the younger set.
Voltaire is constantly reworking and tweaking his lyrics to keep them current and to pique the attention of the audience. As such adjusting the lyrics to some of his songs to make them more kid-friendly is just par for the course.
Five of the tracks on this CD have already been rewritten for his appearances in the Adventure Quest Worlds MMORPG and one for the Deady Game, so it's not very surprising that he'd take a stab at adjusting his "Vampire Club" tune for the post-Twilight era.
Musically the majority of the songs falls into the "gypsy pirate" category working in things like balkan horns, ska-back beats and an undead caribbean attitude. The end result is bouncy and dancey, it's easy to imagine baby-bats bopping around the castle to these pieces.
Overall I quite liked this just-in-time-for Halloween roundup, but if you can't stand anything that smacks of the wacky or zany: stay away. This fun lil' party is not for you.
