Shabbat Shaboom (giveaway)

MAMA DONI’S BACK WITH A “CHALLAH-DAY” ALBUM!

ROLL UP THE RUG AND MAKE SOME ROOM for SHABBAT SHABOOM!

From the PR Firm: The inimitable Mama Doni brings her special brand of “funky music with a Jewish twist” to a new “Challah-Day” album, with the March 22 release of Shabbat Shaboom (Mama Doni Productions, $15, run time 42 minutes, all ages).

Doni Zasloff Thomas, aka Mama Doni, is the lead singer/songwriter in The Mama Doni Band. Doni’s “wacky, Jewish indie-rock band for kids” won the Simcha Award for Inspiring Joy Through Music in competition with more than 100 bands from 15 different countries at the 2008 International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. Quirky, zany, offbeat, and unpredictable, The Mama Doni Band expands the horizons of traditional Jewish music with a contagious and unexpected blend of reggae, rock, disco, Latin, klezmer and “Jewgrass” – all woven together with a hip Jewish sensibility.

The original songs and stories on Shabbat Shaboom transport listeners to a place where the album’s warmly sincere pop-rock title track happily melds with a Gloria Estefan-meets-Fiddler on the Roof conga line tune, "Challah-Day,” where the reggae-influenced “Mazel Tov” meets a disco ditty, “Sabbath Queen.” Shabbat Shaboom touches on such aspects as lighting candles, being with family (mishpocha), celebrating bat mitzvahs, and even the “workout” that Mama Doni mischievously terms "synagoguersizing."


Shabbat Shaboom marks the first Mama Doni CD to showcase the entire Mama Doni Band. Says Doni, “Shabbat Shaboom is really an evolution for us. It’s a little less shticky than my previous CDs. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun! But this album has a slightly different vibe. It’s more sophisticated musically than my earlier work, a bit more soulful, you might say.”

The raison d'être of Mama Doni’s presentation goes deeper than surface “shtick.” What’s important to Doni is the idea of giving children their own current and positive musical voice. Doni lays out her mission: “I want to share with kids of all ages and backgrounds the humor and richness that effervesces throughout Yiddish language and Jewish culture. Through my music I hope that they can access the joy in this culture in a new way and have a rockin‘ good time in the process!”

My take:  A long time ago, in a far away land, I worked at a Jewish Federation.  I worked there as the controller and employee benefits coordinator for 5 years.  During that time, I developed a real appreciation and respect for the Jewish faith.  In fact, I remembering telling "my" rabbi (he sat with me and helped me through my late husband's funeral), that if it wasn't for that "small" fact of Jews not believing Jesus is the Messiah, I'd convert! LOL.  Anyway, the point is, I developed a great respect and love for Judaism due to my time at the Federation; in fact, 2 of my 7 tattoos are written in Hebrew.  So it is no surprise that I loved this CD, Shabbat Shaboom (Shabbat means "Sabbath").  Forget the kids, this CD is a hit with ME (just kidding, they loved rockin' out to it too!).  While this music is fun for everyone, I can imagine how cool it would be for a young Jewish child - with songs like "Challah-Day," "Fahklempt" and "Mazel Tov" - Mama Doni celebrates all aspects of Jewish life in rockin' style (I have to say, I laughed out loud at "Synagogersize" because as a Roman Catholic, I've always referred to parts of our Mass as "Catholic Calisthenics").  Just a fun, fun CD, no matter your religion.  ★★★★★

Bonus: Check out below to see if Mama Doni and the band will be coming to YOUR neck of the woods - I'm going to their concert in May when they come here (SQUEE!) and I'll review their performance then back here on the blog. 

MAMA DONI and THE MAMA DONI BAND in Performance: Highlights – Winter/Spring 2011

January 16 Morristown Jewish Center Morristown, NJ
February 6 JCC of Greater Washington Rockville, MD
February 20 Congregation Emanu El Houston, TX
March 5 Congregation Beth Or Maple Glen, PA
March 6 Young Limmud Philly/Gershman YMHA Philadelphia, PA
March 20 Museum of Jewish Heritage New York, NY
April 3 Congregation Keneseth Israel Elkins Park, PA
April 22 Friedberg JCC/Mid-Island YJCC Oceanside, NY
May 10 Weinstein JCC Richmond, VA
May 11 Simon JCC Virginia Beach, VA

For more information visit: http://mamadoni.com/

The giveaway:  WIN IT BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT!  One lucky winner will win his/her very own copy of the Shabbat Shaboom!

To win: Leave me a comment telling me the name of one of the other band members.  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Thursday, February 17, 2011. Good Luck!

Bonus entries: Get up to 9 extra entries for a total of 10 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

• "Like" Waldmania PR on Facebook and leave a comment there that "CPA MOM sent me"
• "Like" The Mama Doni Band on Facebook  and leave a comment there that "CPA MOM sent me"
• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment)
• Share this giveaway on any of your Social Networking sites (like Twitter or Facebook) and come back here with a link to your post/tweet
• Follow me on Twitter (leave a comment with your twitter id)
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
• Follow me on Blogger (see top left sidebar)

This review was sponsored by Waldmania! PR who provided the CD for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary CD.