A DAY AT THE FARM WITH FARMER JASON (B)
ROCKIN' IN THE FOREST WITH FARMER JASON (B+)
EW.com - Kids corner
by Beth Johnson

Listening to children's music can be excruciating for parents — especially once the little darlings find the damn ''repeat'' button. But luckily, ''grownup'' artists are increasingly taking music-for-tykes side gigs. (Did you know that Farmer Jason is really Jason Ringenberg, frontman of alt-country pioneers Jason and the Scorchers?) 2003's just re-released A Day at the Farm was Jason's first album for the preschool set, and with fiddle-and-banjo sing-alongs such as ''A Guitar Pickin' Chicken'' and ''He's a Hog Hog Hog,'' he clearly delights in making four-year-olds giggle. Think of it as a happy Day at the Farm without all the manure and manual labor.

On Farmer Jason's new disc Rockin' in the Forest, he gets his rock — and rockabilly — groove on with ''Punk Rock Skunk,'' ''Possum in a Pocket,'' ''Ode to a Toad'' (complete with gypsy violin) and a Grease-worthy ''Moose on the Loose.'' Extra bonus: Between toe-tappin' tunes, Jason's immensely cheerful, eco-friendly chats (''Wow, what a cool word that is — marsupial!!'') will make parents feel quite virtuous about cranking up the volume.