Review of "The Bumblebees" (Song) by Studio Story Monster, Zachary Simpson, Linda F. Radke, Erin Rementer, Kalen Kelly, Jim Derrick, Story & Characters by Betsy Coffeen

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

Well, we're pleasantly surprised!

We've become so accustomed to Studio Story Monster's short, sweet, and charming little songs and jingles. Well, "The Bumblebees" is actually quite a different kind of song: it's a song, it's a story, it's a culmination, it's character progression, and it's a celebration all wrapped in one!

First of all, this song has a really wonky, high-energy feel to it. It's jazzy, swingy, rhythmic—the kind of music you want to move to. It's kinda hard to find clean music that kids want to dance to these days. Modern dance music defaults to either dirty suggestive pop music or expletive-ridden rap/hip-hop music. This song, on the other hand, is fun and clean! It hearkens back to an older era of music... dare we say... disco.

You even get some of the old "Ooo la la laa" that you'd expect to hear with jazzy harmonizing background singers (fitting for a song that talks about harmony between different parties) or maybe 70s disco or 80s pop.

"The Bumblebees" is a song from the Cate and the Garden Bandits Musical with music & lyrics by Zachary Simpson, story and characters by Betsy Coffeen (the author of the book on which the musical is based), vocals by Erin Rementer and Kalen Kelly, and trumpet instrumentals by Jim Derrick. We really liked this combination!

It's not necessarily something we'd blast in our cars or play in public, but it's something you can listen and dance to with your kids at home or at school.

The background singing bumblebees all talk/sing a little funny, almost as if they have a buzz in their voices—how fitting! They go all-in with this. It might come across as obnoxious or annoying to some listeners, but we think it's great character work. They're bees, after all. They're supposed to sound like that. Haven't you talked and sung with bees before? The cool people have.

The voice of Kalen Kelly, who we think voices Queen Bee Kira, is a great contrast to this. Her voice is sharp, clear, powerful, yet unmistakably and beautifully feminine. It cuts through the other voices, not like a rough saw but rather like a hot knife through softened butter.

One of the best parts of the song is when she names all the bees, emphasizing the "B" sound in all of them! It's fitting and actually fun to hear.

Erin Rementer, who voices Cate the Butterfly, always shines in these songs! Her vocal performance is perfect for a beautiful yet strong butterfly. She has the voice of a Disney princess! Magical and flowery.

We loved all of the performances. One of our favorite little bitty parts is when all the garden bugs briefly say hello to the bumblebees in harmony. They talk over each other rather than waiting their turns, which comes across as really organic and natural.

This is a really important scene in both the book and the musical when the original magical garden residents find common ground (both figuratively and literally) with the bumblebees (formerly misunderstood as the "bandit bugs"). Rather than fighting or being afraid of each other, the two sides discuss their mutual appreciation and need for the garden. They become friends! How cute!

It's a really positive message for children and adults alike, and this song pushes that positivity home. The theme of community comes across in this song. We especially loved the lyrics:

"Community and harmony, buzzing around this big ole' tree."

The characters apologize to each other for previous misunderstandings and discuss how they can help each other to make the magical garden an even better place than it was before.

Check it out here!