Alastair Moock a dad and musician is using his talents to speak directly to kids, one of which is his daughter Clio, with cancer.
After his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia he was inspired to write and produce an amazing collections of songs for the family. Singing Our Way Through: Songs for the World’s Bravest Kids .
Anyone who has had cancer touch their life will be able to relate to each of the thirteen songs on the album. Each are “intensely personal and universally understandable.” writes
Don’t for one minute think that these songs are going to make you go out and buy a box of Kleenex. These songs are uplifting, fun and full of life that will speak to members of every generation. For the families and kids where cancer is a daily reality, this CD will not only give them a voice but will make them feel understood in an amazingly profound way.
Alastair Moock uses humor and understanding with songs such as When I Get Bald . The music video to this fun funky tune features Alastair’s daughter will put a smile on anyone’s face, especially those losing their hair as well as those who know of someone who has lost their hair.
All of the music on this album has been written especially to appeal to children. I’m a little Monkey and B-R-A-V-E reflects both the playful and unbeatable sides of these small fighters.
On the eve of the album’s release Steve Almond sat down with Alastair and discussed what it was like to co-write with a 5-year-old.
“The first song we wrote was “I’m a Little Monkey” and it was really just a matter of me playing a little riff and saying, “What should we sing about?” and she said “a monkey” and I said, “OK, what do monkeys do?” and she said, “They hang on vines. They eat bananas.” It was really just about being playful. Because that’s a big part of this: How do you hold on to being a kid at the same time you’re a patient?”
“What I can see in retrospect is that all the songs we wrote together were, on some level, really about what was going on with Clio. When we wrote “Take a Little Walk With Me,” I mean, she’d been on lockdown on a cancer ward for weeks, so of course we were thinking about getting out of there, being able to go somewhere else.”
“The record portrays cancer for what it is,” writes Almond, “a complex human process full of fear and pain, but also moments of great intimacy and even joy. It’s an unsentimental album that happens to be deeply moving.”
If you know anyone who is going through an experience like this, Alastair Moock’s album will for sure put a smile on his or her face.