7/10

Children’s music is often expected to be simple, but Doctor Noize has spent years proving that it doesn't have to be. 'Positive Energy! The Music of Doctor Noize' brings together 28 tracks from across his career to deliver a retrospective experience that acts almost like a guided tour through a singular creative world where education, theatre, storytelling and ambitious musicianship are given equal weight.

Doctor Noize has always approached children’s music with the same seriousness of craft that another artist might bring to a concept album or stage musical. His songs are built around characters, recurring ideas and larger narratives, with lessons about language, music, teamwork, sustainability, leadership and inclusion woven into the entertainment.

Across the collection, there's this strong sense of theatricality, with arrangements moving far beyond basic singalong formulas. Complex structures, layered production and playful performances sit alongside the humour, allowing the material to work on more than one level. Younger listeners get memorable characters and bright hooks, while adults and musicians can appreciate the care underneath the surface.

Focus track ‘The Monster Dance’ captures that balance particularly well. Fun, immediate and built to move, the song has the energy needed to connect quickly with younger audiences, but it also reflects Doctor Noize’s wider instinct for turning learning and participation into something genuinely entertaining.

Colourful, inventive and packed with personality, 'Positive Energy!' is an impressively expansive offering that treats children as listeners worth challenging as well as entertaining. And more importantly, it makes that challenge feel like fun.