Justin Roberts: Why Not Sea Monsters?
The response to SALT’s new summer resource - “Sing! Play! Summer!” - has been fantastic, and it’s put us in mind of other great faith-filled music for all ages we’ve come across over the years. Among the best is “Why Not Sea Monsters,” the two-album masterpiece - one album based on stories from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, the other based on stories from the New Testament - by the legendary Justin Roberts, whom the New York Times has called “among the most respected songwriters” in all of kids’ music.
The Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures album is full of gems, including “Where Were You,” an epic, soulful version of God’s response to Job. The New Testament album is a similar treasure chest, including “Shh Shh Shh,” a song that captures the essence of the story of Mary and Martha, and “Is It You?”, a lovely, moving ode to the mysteries of resurrection.
But virtually all of Roberts’ body of work - he’s got a dozen albums in total, and his latest (“Lemonade”) was nominated for a Grammy in 2018 - is worth weaving into your family’s soundtrack. He has plenty of witty, zany, and just plain fun material, but he’s also not afraid to embrace parts of life other all-ages-oriented musicians typically avoid (death and divorce, for example) with songs of exquisite sensitivity. And even his most light-hearted tunes can suddenly take a turn into lovely poetic territory. He’s the real deal!
Want a taste? To celebrate his twenty years of amazing music-making for all ages, we at SALT present to you our latest one-minute film in honor of Roberts’ classic one-minute song, “More than Just a Minute.” Enjoy!