Food and music spell good times, and a new release, What’s Eatin’ Yosi? captures the joy of both. Pull up a chair and fill up on this bowlful of 16 musical surprises from Yosi, whose all-ages tunes have been acclaimed by the New York Times as “whimsical and genre spanning.” Yosi is building a national reputation as one of the most musically eclectic and talented writers of family music. His previous release, Under a Big Bright Yellow Umbrella (2004) won wide national acclaim and six national awards, including Dr. Toy, the National Parenting Publications (NAPPA), Children’s Music Web and iParenting Media. Yosi’s songs get regular airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Kids channel, XM Satellite Radio’s XM Kids channel and many other kids’ radio programs across the nation. Two other Yosi family CDs are available: Monkey Business and Little Kitty. The rousing first number, “Let’s Get Cookin’” a Zydeco good-time tune inviting the whole family to cook together in the kitchen, sets the happy tone for the album. From there, Yosi explores a range of cuisines and musical themes, from the hard-driving rock and roll riffs of “Chicken Noodle Soup” and “Chicken Gizzards and Collard Greens” to the bouncy klezmer ode to “Bulbes (Potatoes)” and the calypso strains of “Chilly Chili.” Fellow dad-rocker Brady Rymer joins in for a version of Rymer’s song “Fresh Brown Eggs,” and the whole family will sing along to the familiarly funny lines of “On Top of Spaghetti,” humorously arranged to a punk/metal beat. Some songs remind listeners that food is not just for humans. A mini rock opera, “Schlurpknopf” tells what young aliens eat to get bigger and stronger. Next, Yosi’s original ode, “Spaghetti Worms and Meatballs,” a barbershop quartet about a wildlife café where all kinds of animals dine, expresses his zany approach to food and eating (with a little reference to Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant on the side). The New Orleans jazz style song, “I Just Love You” ends the disc on an especially sweet note. The gustatory themes of What’s Eatin’ Yosi? were dished up from daily life in the Levin household. “We all love to cook and to eat. My favorite thing to make is chili, and my wife makes the best spaghetti and meatballs I’ve ever tasted.” The four kids in the family inspired many of the song lyrics, particularly those dealing with “Just Desserts” and “Carmel Crunchies.” Yosi’s nine year old son Nikolaus, who is suspicious about foods he's never tried, is definitely wary of “Chicken Gizzards and Collard Greens,” his dad notes. Yosi was born in Israel, and his family moved to the United States when he was a boy. After a career as psychologist working with youth and families, he decided to embark on a full-time career as a musician a few years ago. He had been a member of a punk rock band, the New Gods, when he was a student at Rutgers University, and had continued to play with friends. Now, this suburban father regularly performs more than 400 concerts a year, both solo and with his band, Yosi and the SuperDads. His fan base grows exponentially each year, causing a journalist to compare him to Bruce Springsteen. As Yosi remarks, “some of the kids in the audience know my schedule better than I do!”