This recording lives up to its title, supplying songs with multiple genre influences, but maintaining consistently even and slow tempos, gentle sounds, and songs perfect for bedtime. The album has many lullabies, including the familiar song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Raffi originals, Thanks a Lot and Blessed Be - an intimate song from a parent to their newborn. Slow Day stands out with a jazzy feel to it, including trilling whistles and soft piano and harmonica. Listen to the Horses features the harmonica, steel guitar, and percussion to create a 'clip clop' sound throughout the song, giving it a country feel. Introduce a new language to your little one with the French song, Fais Do Do; you can hear some similarities to English, such as "mama" and "papa". Raffi also includes a Japanese song, Haru Ga Kita, where he is joined by a child's voice, the piano, and a flute. Sunflower has a modern soft rock quality to it, with light percussion, piano, and a female voice providing the 'aaaaaa's. A female voice is heard again in Row, Row, Row, singing andante rounds with Raffi, and bells heard periodically throughout the track give the song a dreamlike quality. Raffi harmonizes lightly with himself in Douglas Mountain, which is not a common feature heard in Raffi's other albums. Spring Flowers is instrumental, with the piano, guitar, and violin, until voices join in and sing nothing but "ooo"s.
Through the beautiful plucking of a harp and gentle tune of the flute, Nursery Rhyme Medley includes the melody for London Bridges and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Watch your little one carefully to see if they show any signs of recognizing the tunes. You can help them along and sing some of the lyrics to the instrumental parts as a hint. Slow Day sets a great mood for a relaxing time with your little one, swaying together to the jazzy beat and enjoying (or joining in!) the slow scat, "It's a slow day, it's a yatta data data..." Your child may be curious about the subjects in the songs, and may have questions about the different language songs and what instrument they are hearing.
I put this CD one day while my one-year-old friend, Mosley was already playing quietly in his play area with some squishy blocks. He looked at me when he recognized a song, smiling wide. When Raffi got to the Mary Wore Her Red Dress song, I decided to change the lyrics to "Mosley wore his black coat all day long." his face lit up when he became part of the song, and he let out a giggle. The changing-the-lyrics-game is one we've continued ever since.
--Audra