The Yukon News-Friday July 20 2001 by Richard Mostyn

About five years ago, Lana Rae Lacroix came into my office to talk about music. Back then the Whitehorse country musician was performing with her Mom , Norma Nichols. Today Lacroix hasn’t switched styles as much as audiences. The local musician has re-directed her well-honed country twang to children.

I Just Want to be Little is a whimsical romp featuring 11 child-friendly songs. But, more importantly Lacroix has written the album with adults in mind. That is, during the 14th listen on that long road trip, the adults won’t be prepared to leap from the moving car.

Helped along with synthesizers, the title track has an amusement-park feel. But the fun really kicks in on Cows Want To be Pretty Too, the album’s third track. Here Lacroix pulls on her former training to give the goofy song a country feel. “Cause cows wanna be pretty too, ” she croons in the chorus , backed up by a heifer or two. “Its what they mean when they say mooooo.” With Monsiur Chenille, Lacroix has penned a wonderful French ditty about a caterpillar. And Lumps in My Socks is perfect for any parent who has struggled to calm a child who’s ticked off by their socks’ seams. And, when it comes to kids, you can’t go wrong with mud. Lacroix exploits it through the rock-’n'-roll tinged Mud Is My Bud. “You can squish it in your toes; you can get it on your clothes,” sings Lacroix, backed up by some frantic piano work. “You can fling it -there it goes; but don’t get it up your nose.” Another stellar number is She’s My dog, which anchors the disc.

Recording with studio musicians at Vancouver’s Dark Horse studios, Lacroix has managed to avoid the flaw that befalls so many children’s artists-overblown sentimentality. Her disc is long on fun and short on syrup, which makes it a good choice for those long summer car trips.