Marlo Thomas

Thanks & Giving All Year Long is a companion CD to Marlo Thomas' book of the same name. Combining spoken word performances of the stories and poems in the book with original songs and delightful artwork, the collection revisits the sense of boundless positivity -- and life's possibilities -- that made Thomas' landmark 1972 children's release Free to Be...You and Me so special. Thanks & Giving's list of contributors is pretty varied. Musically there's tranquil material from Sheryl Crow and Jimmy Buffet encouraging folks to appreciate diversity and be in a good mood, and Wayne Brady gives love out to the "Unsung Heroes" in life -- you know, the galoshes, zippers, paper sacks, bottle caps, cups, and handles that make the world go round. Hilary Duff's "(I'll Give) Anything but Up!" is a sweetly urgent pop number comparable in both sound and message to her own work, while the rootsy John Hiatt and Amy Grant duet "Thank Someone" originally appeared on Thomas' 1988 album Free to Be a Family. Interspersed with these warm-hearted musical tracks are equally pleasant stories and poems, read by such Hollywood heavyweights as Antonio Banderas, Billy Crystal, Jennifer Aniston, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Highlights include David Hyde Pierce's reading of "The Mouse, the Bird and the Sausage" where he perfectly personifies the title characters (in particular the mouse and sausage), as well as "A Tale of Two Friends," which features Muppets Bert & Ernie learning a Christmas lesson from Thomas herself. [In the spirit of the season, royalties from Thanks & Giving's benefited the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide