Track Listing

1. In the Car
2. Tickle My Toes
3. Thought it was a Monster
4. Yellow Bus
5. Willy was a Whale
6. Mama is Sad
7. Rocketship
8. Tie Your Shoe
9. One Little Cookie
10. Hey Hippopotamus
11. Giraffe/Nightengale
12. All Eyes On You

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9288 in Music
• Released on: 2004-11-02
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Justin's most recent release is his long awaited follow up to his critically acclaimed children's record, "Great Big Sun." It features songs about whales, rocketships, and one little cookie.

Jim Walsh from the Pioneer Press said that Yellow Bus "tops even [the] magical debut, "Great Big Sun," of three years ago.

Based in Chicago, Hear Diagonally is a record label and production company commited to excellence in music and fairness to musicians. Hear Diagonally supports an eclectic roster of recording artists, ranging in style from Power Pop through Children's Music to Art Rock to Electronica and a bunch of other stuff we can't even categorize.

Amazon.com
Alternative-country enthusiasts who've ventured into parenthood will want to climb aboard Justin Roberts's Yellow Bus, a tastefully twangy, boot-stomping affair also fit for musically with-it kids age 2 and up. Roberts, no showoff, delivers the 12 original songs here in a down-homey, deeply satisfying voice that'll set the uninitiated to scratching their heads over why he's not already famous. More than that, though, he proves himself a gifted guitarist and fearless songwriter: Yellow Bus's uniformly excellent selections explore the silly ("Willy Was a Whale," an alliterative ditty in which the title fish twies to be wuff and tough while walking on water all the way to Weno, Nevada), the spooky ("Thought It Was a Monster," a story surveying the potential origins of the kind of creepy noises that'll keep a kid up at night with a refrain--"Thought it was a monster / Thought it was a ghost / Thought it was my brother trying to freak me out"--representative of Roberts's delightfully straightforward songcraft), the hilarious ("Tickle My Toes," a gleefully pulse-raising plea for mercy from a tickle-mad mama), and even the profound ("Mama Is Sad," about a child's sympathy and generosity in turbulent times, in this case a divorce). Musically, the here gentle, there ferocious strumming gets support from occasional trumpet toots, mandolin, banjo, and a back-up chorus of completely natural-sounding kids. Roberts's sophomore outing--his first record was 1998's acclaimed Great Big Sun--is roundly impressive; the only problem with this yellow bus is that its wheels don't go round and round longer. --Tammy La Gorce

Jim Derogatis, Chicago Sun-Times, February 25, 2001
answers the question, "What would Big Star sound like had they recorded children's music?" chiming guitars and beautiful background harmonies

Customer Reviews

Good...but Pop Fly is better
I love Justin Roberts...as do my two kids. We listen to his music in our van all the time. I bought this shortly after we listened to his Pop Fly CD after seeing him in concert. We LOVE Pop Fly. This CD is good and we love the catchy tunes of Willy was a Whale and Yellow Bus. This is a good CD for all families to enjoy.

Gotta Love Justin!
I am not kidding when I say Justin Roberts has changed my life. I discovered him when my daughter was still only 1, and now she is 3. I've been listening to Yellow Bus for 2 years now, and she recently joined me in my enjoyment of it. I also have other Justin CDs, but Yellow Bus is always going to be my favorite. As a music lover, I can honestly say that the last 4 songs on this CD are in my top 10 favorite songs period. Please, please, please try this Cd. You will love it as much (or if you are me, more) than the kids.

Yellow Bus Review
This CD is a great sign along for toddlers in the car. My 2 year old son loves to shout out the words to "In the Car" and "Willie the Whale." Great music.