40 Winks
"Simply one of the most lyrically inventive, musically distinguished lullaby albums ever..." --Los Angeles TimesA recent entry into children's music, Jessica Harper has already proven worthy of a top spot in the children's music field for 1) her tuneful weave of gospel, soft jazz and folk stylings, 2) her lyric clarity and wit, and 3) the unusual purity of her varied harmonies and lead vocals, sung in a voice as smooth as warm honey. In this, her fourth album, every song is an enchantment:  "Slow Down, Lizzie," an a capella mosaic of gospel rhythm and unusual lyric structure ("Bedtime now, little Lizzie, sun won't set without your sweet smile; Oh, now didn't you grab this day and shake it, now didn't you shake it, so complete, so complete"); the inventive "Dream Song" ("I dreamed I went to Egypt in a pink wheelbarrow; I danced across the desert with a very friendly pharaoh"); "In This Room" ("There's a garden in this room; There's a tiny flower"); "A Tinker, A Tailor"-a mother's promise to always be there for her child, no matter what path his life takes; and "The Farmer's Son," a playful, loving variation on "Old MacDonald," in which a father tenderly soothes his baby boy. The collection ends with Harper's piercingly sweet rendition of traditional song, "Great Big Dog," painting a vivid portrait of a young rural mother softly singing to her sleepy baby as dusk falls.  A 1998 Parents' Choice® Gold Award.Reviewed by Lynne Heffley, Parents' Choice® 1998--FromParents' Choice®