Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of U2
If you've been operating under the impression that songs with the word "bloody" in the title can't make for good lullabies, guess again: given the Baby Rock treatment, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sounds infant-tested, sandman-approved. And, more important, not even the tiniest bit absurd. With their glockenspiels, vibraphones, and mellotrons, the Baby Rock magicians have spun sweetness and a soothing vibe into everything from "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to "Stairway to Heaven"; given the unthinkable nature of those undertakings, this one seems almost too easy. "All I Want is You" is a little on the snuggly side to begin with, after all, and so is "The Sweetest Thing." No matter how high the bar is set, what's consistent about this series is its knack for getting eyelids to drooping and rock fans to chuckling: Bono and the Sandman make for strange bedfellows, but entertaining ones.--Tammy La Gorce