Frank Migliorelli and the Dirt Nappers | We’re Not Kiddin’ Around
(Rave-On)
Since 2015, Frank Migliorelli and the Dirt Nappers have released three albums of charming Americana-based pop: bright, rootsy stuff that sparkles with hints of Dwight Twilley, Tom Petty, and, especially, Migliorelli’s (last we checked) fellow Red Hook resident Marshall Crenshaw. Across those recordings, the lyrics have focused on grown-up topics like fractured romance and even the gun violence epidemic (see 2019’s single “Only Here”). Album number four, We’re Not Kiddin’ Around, is the band’s first foray into kids’ music, and it works well. All the tunes here are inspired by classic children’s books (Where the Wild Things Are, Harry the Dirty Dog, Flat Stanley, etc.), and the Nappers’ upbeat style frames them with a sunny, singalong halo. Starring guest players from the Avett Brothers and Bruce Springsteen’s and Hall and Oates’s bands, this family-car-ride-friendly disc lives up to its title in multiple ways.
This article appears in February 2022.
