Wurmy Wormfield may be better known as Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, director of Kissing Jessica Stein and Legally Blonde 2, but he’s also a gay dad and an accomplished children’s music creator whose music is inspired by his kids. For You, the Garden is an ode to our planet and to our individual and community efforts to keep it flourishing.
The jazzy “Calling All Protons” starts us off with a planetary view; “The Rattlin’ Bog” weaves in a touch of bluegrass as it zooms in on one ecosystem. Other songs show folk and pop influences as they look at community gardens, forests, planting seeds, and our human interactions with winds, rains, mountains, and the rest of the natural world around us. Wormfield’s lyrics are thoughtful and evocative; they’re not the inane, repetitive hooks that plague some children’s music. Indeed, adults may enjoy the songs as much as their young ones do.
“Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral” is a classic Irish-American tune, and two songs are mostly in Spanish: “Everything Is My Family (Caminaré En Belleza)” and “Arrurrú Mi Nino & and Rattlin’ End.” The latter, based on a Mexican lullaby, also includes (in English) the lyrics “Dadoo and Papa love you” and “Ima and Mommy love you,” making this a queer-inclusive but far from exclusive album.
The final song, “Good Morning, I Love You,” is an upbeat and cheerful tune about the growth of a seedling, but also about our own human capacity for forgiveness, growth, and love.
Wormfield includes brief narration (in worm persona) between some of the songs, reinforcing the vision of connectedness across all of the subjects he sings about. The album reminds us that we are all part of this world, we all bear a responsibility to care for it, and that “no one is too small to make a difference.”
Have a listen at the links or wherever you stream or buy your music.
