On a Starry Night
The party line on most Windham Hill products seems to be that it's either the greatest stuff since wave machines, or that it all sounds alike.On a Starry Night, with its collection of world songs and reputable artists such asFlora Purim,Airto Moreira, theTurtle Island String Quartet, and others, does lean toward a seamlessly understated, homogeneous quality that is broken only occasionally byBobby McFerrin's piece and a couple of others. That said, there can hardly be a more mellow or sonorous album of kid's music anywhere.Starry Nightcould calm a nursery with no nurses; why, it could even soothe the pained yelps at the dog pound--and turn a freeway full of bumper-to-bumper sour pusses into pussycats. Effective? You've heard of mind control, haven't you?--Martin Keller