Clarke, Justine-I Like to Sing! (2007)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Childrens	Menu Audio Scene Selection Audio Booklet
Rating
Year Of Production	2007
Running Time	42:34
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Marcelle Lunam
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Justine Clarke
Case	Handle
RPI	?	Music	Peter Dasent

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, credits play before final song.

    I have a confession to make. I'm totally in love with Justine Clarke, and it's not purely because of her gorgeous physique. Justine has achieved that elusive benchmark in Aussie children's entertainment; she's made a kid's album that is actually comprised of well produced, highly listenable music that doesn't drive parents insane by the first chorus. The album I Like To Sing! was originally released back in 2005 and was recorded by Justine in collaboration with her Playschool colleague, pianist Peter Dasent.

    This DVD is essentially a video version of the album, aimed at children aged one to six years. A video clip has been made for each song (actually, her song Swinging is the only album track not included here). The videos feature simple, highly contrasting Yellow Submarine-style animation, with dancing and actions the kids can easily follow. Some of the clips are live-action as well, including a creative dance troupe of young kids. Each video has a different style and some even include subtle segues into one another.

    My partner and I have two young-uns, the smallest of which is yet to speak in anything other than slobbery garbled growls, like a Wookie gargling custard. It's hilarious, but in his defence the little fella's making good progress for a 20-month old. Having said that, nothing makes me more irate than hearing my eldest (now four-and-a-half) speak with an American twang. I blame that giant-purple-dinosaur-b****** Barney, and it enrages me enough to contemplate incinerating every North American-produced DVD in their collection. I'm sure it's crossed the mind of every parent at some stage! Herein lies what I appreciate most about most about Justine's singing voice - she doesn't shy away from her Aussie accent. Every melodic syllable that passes her lips is distinctly Australian, and proud of it. It's joy to my ears, as well as my kids'.

    As I mentioned above, the actual production of the music is second to none. If you pay attention, a broad range of instruments have been used, and it gives the music a dimension far beyond your average kiddies' record. Vocal harmonies have a lush depth, multi-layered and almost Beatles-ish in their complexity. Don't you hate those cheap-sounding kids albums that are full of soulless MIDI programming? I do- with a passion! No such issues here, these are real musicians! Many notable and talented artists contributed to the recordings, including Jackie Orszaczky.

    To say my kids are wrapped with this DVD is an understatement. They were already familiar with some of the content because many of these music clips have been screened on ABC Kids, so if you're familiar with those promo spots you know what to expect from this DVD.

    So, take my advice all you parents out there. As a father of two, a working musician and keen music lover, I think Justine's stuff is fantastic. A five-star thumbs-up from me!

Video

    This video transfer is on a par with your average standard definition digital broadcast. The image is presented in an 1.78:1 aspect, with 16x9 enhancement.

    The video is quite soft, with no major issues to report. Detail is as good as you would expect from an SD transfer. Colours are nice and bright, with not a single blemish to be seen. No noise or digital grain.

    MPEG compression is well controlled, with no dire blocking or grain visible on a big screen. Mild haloing can be seen on foreground objects, but on a smaller display that will be much less of an issue.

    There are no English subtitles provided.

    This disc is single-layered (DVD5 format).

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There's only one audio option; stereo Dolby Digital 2.0, encoded at 384Kb/s.

    This is a good reproduction of the music, comparable in quality to the original CD. Vocals are always clear and distinct. There are no sync issues.

    The music is very nicely mixed, active and involving, with great use of the stereo soundfield. The higher than average bitrate leaves room for the instruments to breathe, in fact the audio is much crisper than I was expecting for this kind of DVD.

    The subwoofer and surround channels are not supported.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Music Video- I Like To Sing!

    A link to the title track, branched to the video clip at the end of the feature.

Booklet

    A simple colour leaflet with credits and track listing.

    The transfer is great.

    The extras are minimal.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall