Music that puts you to sleep

A number of sleepytime tunes have come across the OWTK desk recently and two of the best bedtime records I have heard recently are Mae Robertson's "Dream" and "Siente" - Night Songs From Around The World. I am always interesting in cool new dreamy songs for my girls to listen to while sleeping so discovering these two gems in the mailbox last month was truly exciting.

At bedtime, we usually set the mode on repeat - allowing the disc to play all night long, thus instilling a love (or eventual utter disdain) of music 'round the clock!

Robertson' "Dream" is a lovely collection of fourteen relaxing and peaceful nighttime cuts. This disc represents my introduction to Robertson, but she is nowhere near a newcomer to the kids lullaby scene (is there such a scene?). "Dream" marks fourth installment of Mae's beautifully conceived "Lullabies and Lovesongs" series. On "Dream", Robertson interprets classic songs of Dar Williams, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Tom Waits and the grandfather of cool Robert 'Bob Dylan' Zimmerman. She does a remarkable job of transforming great songs into delightful lullabies without turning them into a big bowl of mush. This is no simple task, for the process of slowing a tune up then making it smooth and gentle will often have disastrous effects. Fortunately, Mae Robertson's deft touch is near-golden allowing this album to come alive as your child drifts away to the land of (winken, blinken and) nod.

Being a font and design junkie, I was immediately taken by the layout of the artwork and the simple, classy fonts used on the front cover. "Dream", as with the previous three installments, is a gorgeous album. It is as good on the eyes as it is on the ears.

Visit MaeRobertson.com and order "Dream" today!

Siente - Night Songs From Around The World is a gently sweeping record featuring Hilary Field on guitar and Patrice O'Neill on vocals. This serene album is comprised of thirteen tracks over 54 minutes - moving between continents and languages. The musicianship on this disc is stunning. The guitar is always at center stage with mandolin and elegant horns gracefully rounding out the sound on this accomplished world music lullaby collection. Any parent, especially a new mom or dad with a tiny infant at home, should cherish this disc. It is not hard to imagine a parent stealing more than a few moments of shut-eye along side their precious bundle with the songs of Siente floating softly around the nursery.

The good people at Yellow Tail Records have provided me with an extra copy of Siente. For your chance to win this fine CD, simply send an email to OWTK. One winner will be selected at random on Monday, Sept 3rd. As always, OWTK will never share your email address or send you unwanted mail. Thanks and Good Luck!

Visit the Siente website.