S’more songs please!

By Kyle Ridley/For the News & Messenger
Published: June 5, 2008

With the end of the school year just days away, children everywhere are packing their stick-tied handkerchiefs for the fun and frolic of summer camp. They might want to consider adding singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb's new children's CD, "Camp Lisa," to their camp sacks.

"Camp Lisa," released June 3 exclusively at Barnes and Noble, takes listeners on a summer camp journey through original tunes and classics such as "Home on the Range," "Peanut Butter and Jelly" and the "Cookie Jar Song."

Loeb, 40, performs tracks from "Camp Lisa" Saturday at Barnes and Noble in Wash-ington, D.C.

"Camp Lisa" is Loeb's second children's CD. In 2004 she released "Catch the Moon," which garnered a Parent's Choice Award and led to a se-ries of videos on the Noggin Network.

"I knew I wanted to do more kids music," said Loeb. "I was trying to figure out what voice I had that was different from anyone else."

She decided that chronicling a summer camp experience would be the perfect theme for a new record while paying tribute to her favorite childhood pastime.

The Grammy nominated singer said that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped in tin foil, swimming the lake-mile and jumping off cliffs are all standout memories from her own camp days.

"Camp Lisa's" 21 tracks are driven by a '70s-style pop-rock sound and include a slew of guest musicians, including comedian Steve Martin, who plays banjo on "The Disappointing Pancake," a ditty about a flapjack's world travels.

Loeb also invited children into the recording sessions for "Camp Lisa." Several videos documenting the making of the CD are posted on her Web site.

On original track "Best Friend," Loeb sings about two opposite campers uniting on their first day at camp.

"I like dogs and you like cats/I wear lots of colors and you wear only black/but we don't take things too seriously/You and me, we're the perfect pair," Loeb sings.

Loeb said creating a children's album forces her to take on a new songwriter mindset.

"The one thing that's different… is that we wanted to make the stories clear," she said.

Loeb said she typically incorporates abstract concepts into her lyrics, but she enjoys trying to tackle a more straightforward approach.

"It's a good exercise for me," she said.

In conjunction with her new album, Loeb launched the non-profit Camp Lisa Foundation in part-nership with S.C.O.P.E. (Summer Camp Opportunities Provide an Edge, Inc.)

"The mission of the Camp Lisa Foundation is to send as many kids to summer camp as possible," Loeb said.

Loeb performs at summer camps through August and also plans to record additional songs for "Camp Lisa," which will be released in stores outside of Barnes and Noble in Sep-tember. She said she has written many adult-oriented songs over the last couple years and hopes to release those tracks in early 2009.

Kyle Ridley can be reached at .