“At the top of the heap of folk record labels is Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. As the name might suggest, the label issues substantially important and beautiful music in a genre that is often overlooked by the general public. Elizabeth Mitchell, a woman who’s name might not be instantly recognizable to you, is one of the genre’s nouveau masters. A position as an assistant teacher and a thorough listening of Woody Guthrie’s Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child put her on the path that would ultimately lead to the recording of “You Are My Little Bird”. Arrangements are kept sparse, with Mitchell’s warm, full voice entering the room like the scent of fresh-baked Christmas cookies. Songs like “Little Liza Jane” will immediately make the listener drift back to childhood. Mitchell’s niece, herself a child, duets nearly pitch-perfect on the sweet “Little Bird, Little Bird.” Albums like this are what sustain my hope for the future of music. “You Are My Little Bird” is heartily recommended.” -The Kenosha WI News – Dan Pavelich.
“If, like me, you are familiar with Elizabeth Mitchell’s work, you will not be disappointed by this latest album – it retains the simplicity and homemade sound of the earlier albums, while expanding upon it in new and delightful ways. If, like me a number of years ago, you are unfamiliar with Elizabeth Mitchell’s work, You Are My Little Bird is an excellent introduction. The album is a gift to kids and adults alike. Highly recommended. Read more: http://www.zooglobble.com/archives/artists/elizabeth_mitchell/
-Zooglobble – by Stefan Sheperd
“You know you’re doin’ somethin’ right when Smithsonian Folkways comes a-knockin’. And I’m pretty sure this label is well aware they have the next Ella Jenkins on their hands… Having become as adept as the aforementioned Ms. Jenkins at song collecting and interpretation, Elizabeth Mitchell is certainly in a position to become one of America’s great music voices. This album is the aural equivalent of gauzy curtains billowing in the summer breeze, so, put it on, enjoy the vibe, and be happy about the fact that together you and your kids can listen to wonderfully performed music penned by writers as disparate as Woody Guthrie, Lou Reed, and Vashti Bunyan. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Read more… http://kidsmusicthatrocks.blogspot.com/2006/09/elizabeth-mitchell.html
-”Kids Music That Rocks” – by Warren Truitt, Childrens Librarian at the New York City Public Library
In 1993 I was working as an assistant teacher at the Roosevelt Island Day Nursery School in New York City. It was a revelatory year for so many reasons, mostly because of the children and all they taught me. But musically, two things happened that year that changed my life. I found a copy of Songs to Grow On for Mother and Child by Woody Guthrie, and I heard the music of Elizabeth Cotten for the first time.
Having Grown up on the music of the 1970s, you could say I received a great pop music education, but Elizabeth Cotten’s music turned me on my head. Her patient, gentle voice and virtuosic guitar playing stopped me in my tracks. It was disarmingly still, yet commanding, steadfast and true. Hearing her music made me want to find that place in myself, somewhere deeper and stronger. I needed it to be a better teacher and musician.
The Songs that jumped off the vinyl of the Woody Guthrie record were the first songs I heard that accessed the poetry of the emerging language of children. One of my jobs as an assistant teacher was to write down the children’s descriptions of their artwork. Woody’s songs sounded like the stories I would hear from my students as they explained their drawings to me. I cherished these windows into their imaginations; as a songwriter it was inspiring, their minds were so free. I heard that same freedom in Woody’s lyrics.
I brought the music of Elizabeth Cotten and Woody Guthrie into the classroom. We also learned the songs of the Carter Family and Leadbelly. The kids loved it, I loved it – we had a time.