You Are My Flower

by Jason AnkenyOstensibly a children's album, You Are My Flower is as warm and engaging as any of Ida's more "mature" works -- a collection of traditional folk and country tunes culled from the songbooks of the Carter Family, Leadbelly, and others, this sweet, lovely set is family-friendly in the truest sense, appealing to young listeners while never so cutesy or cloying that adult ears will beg for mercy. Not an official Ida release -- only Elizabeth Mitchell and Dan Littleton appear, and neither is even referenced on the outer sleeve -- it nevertheless maintains all the hallmarks of the group's previous output, buoyed by precise, intimate harmonies, lilting acoustic melodies, and an emotional purity that makes a similar project virtually unthinkable coming from any of the band's contemporaries. For hip parents seeking to raise hip kids, essential listening.