Latin Lullaby

EDITORIAL REVIEWS Latin Lullaby These new and classic lullabies from Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina will ease your little ones to sleep. Their romantic, mystical, and playful nature reflect an essential part of the Latin soul. From simple whimsical songs passed down from mother to mother in the oral tradition, to virtuostic performances of the classics by Bola Denieve and Atahualpa Yupanqui, these cradle songs contain the styles and influences that have made Latin music the vibrant, ever-evolving phenomenon that it is today. .COM Including contributions from Tex-Mex power folkie Tish Hinojosa, Cuban opera diva Clara Alonso, and Nelie Lebr n Robles, lead singer of Paracumb , an Afro-Puerto Rican outfit, Latin Lullaby is a richly moving encounter with dream-inducing tunes sung in Spanish. Drawing on the relatively new folk customs of Latin America, this collection features elegant guitar noodling, classical orchestration, a cappella intimacy, and straight-ahead guitar and voice lullaby, as on "Duermete Mi Nino" ("Sleep My Child"), Venezuela's national anthem. Also present are progressively traditional ballads of parental love and protection, adult concerns, and gently rootsy narratives detailing the everyday responsibilities of child rearing. The latter is exemplified by Mili Bermejo's "La Cuna de Tu Hijo" ("The Cradle of Your Child"), in which a proud papa labors over crafting a customary baby bed, as well as by Cuban pop star Xiamantha Laugart's cheeky medley about a mother's negligence and a dancing baby. --Paige La Grone REVIEW This collection of exquisite lullabies, exquisitely performed, is simply breathtaking. These 17 contemporary and traditional songs - some humorous, some soulful - from Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Cuba and other Spanish-speaking countries, are as varied as their sources. They are universal, however, in their deeply affecting tenderness. A sampling: you can hear the smile in the vocal version of "Drume Negrita," the Afro-Cuban classic from singer/composer Bola Denieve it is followed by Leo Brouwer's glorious guitar arrangement, "Berceuse (Drume Negrito)" played by Ricardo Cobo. Tish Hinojosa offers a delicate rendition of the traditional Spanish lullaby, "A La Nanita Nana" the Brazilian "Bambalalao," with Marcus Viana and Ligia Jacques, is a mother's sweet, quirky plea for help from a deity in raising her children. Carolina Landaeta happily renders the buoyant Venezuelan classic, "Duermete Mi Nino" and singer Mili Bermejo's nuanced vocals in "La Cuna de Tu Hijo," a bittersweet song for parents about a father making his child's cradle, are complemented by acoustic bassist Dan Greenspan's soft, modern jazz accompaniment. A 1998 Parents' Choice Gold Award. Reviewed by Review, Parents' Choice 1998 -- From Parents' Choice See more

Latin Lullaby