Little ones all over the world can benefit from the gentle cooing and strumming of lullabies sung with love. This album shows the many different forms a lullaby can take while still being relaxing, comforting, and beautiful. Swedish Lullaby features voices singing a capella; the absence of any music creates the feeling that you're listening to your mother sing gently to herself while she goes about her business. The Cradle Song combines English verses and a Gaelic chorus over a guitar and flute. You can easily close your eyes and imagine the beautiful Irish countryside. Be Still My Child is an African lullaby sung by a choir without musical accompaniment, yet enchanting harmonies are formed with just the voices. Down By the Salley Gardens is an all-instrumental Irish lullaby featuring lovely solos on the oboe, harp, and flute.  Other highlights include the Spanish lullaby A La Nanita Nana, African-American lullaby All The Pretty Horses, and Spirit Lullaby sung by a well-known African-American a capella group, Sweet Honey In The Rock.

These songs are designed with soft music, humming, and gentle transitions to form steady tempos so you can easily sway or rock your little one to sleep while listening. Some of the tunes you may already know, but all are simple enough that you can learn quickly and hum along, for nothing is as comforting to your little one as your voice. Although most commonly used for putting children to sleep, lullabies are also a gentle way to wake your child up and ease them in to the day. You could have the music playing softly while they are getting dressed or having their morning milk.

I used to listen to this album while babysitting my niece when she was one. Emily would snuggle on my lap and we would rock in the lazy-z-boy until she fell asleep. I particularly like the Japanese lullaby Sakura; the song almost feels like its tiptoeing around you with its staccato plucks on a traditional Japanese instrument and occasional flourishes of bells or falling eighth notes.  Emily and I also enjoyed Sleep, Little One, Sleep from the Lakota (Sioux) tribe. The song opens with the sounds of nature at night - crickets and soft wind. Even if she had been fussy, Emily calmed down during this song. I think she recognized the sounds of nature and it soothed her.

 

--Audra