Frances England

The art on Frances England's albums is so good that it's easy to get absorbed in all that classy graphic design. But in this case, the packaging mirrors the goods. England recorded this album as a fundraiser for her son's San Francisco preschool, and it was so charming that it quickly began circulating among friends and then out to the children's music industry at large. It's no wonder -- her songs are ravishing in their simplicity, with indie rock filtered through folk (or vice versa). It's the intimate, loving engagement with childhood, however, that makes them so rewarding to return to.