KIDZ BOP 31

Personnel: Alexander Almgren, Steve Peach, Gary Philips (guitar, piano, drum programming); Peter Mol (guitar, drum programming); John Deaderick (piano); Robert Perlick-Molinari (drum programming). Audio Mixer: Gary Philips. Recording information: Wild Honey Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Editor: Gary Philips. Veteran pop cover act Kidz Bop Kids launch their 2016 campaign with their 31st collection of songs. Still touting their "sung by kids for kids" slogan, the young singers take on big contemporary pop hits by Taylor Swift ("Wildest Dreams"), Meghan Trainor ("Like I'm Gonna Lose You"), and Demi Lovato ("Confident"), among others. As on all the Kidz Bop releases, the backing tracks are uber-tight and the Kids' vocals sound so faithful to the original performances that they nearly sound like adults themselves. It's a bit hard to shake the creepiness of 12- and 13-year-olds cooing to Drake's slinky "Hotline Bling," but the more youthfully innocent selections fare well enough. ~ Timothy Monger

• Format: CD
• Released: 1/15/2016