Lullaby Berceuse: A Warm Prairie Night

CD Details

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With so many hipster artists cranking out kids’ music, finding a disc of unflashy tunes for a little one to nap by can be like shopping for Keds at a custom sneaker boutique. That’s not to suggest that this sweetly sung collection of French and English lullabies is plain vanilla, only that it’s a likably retro exercise in dispensing the kind of music that has effectively carted kids off to the sandman for centuries. Connie Kaldor and Carmen Campagne, the performers of these 13 mostly original but classic-sounding tracks, carry their tunes in maternal voices that could smooth the most rumpled of nerves, be they in a colicky infant or a cranky grandparent. And the landscapes they describe in service of their task seem plucked from a holistic practitioner’s remedy book: “Close your eyes and dream/There are clouds to cuddle/Moonbeams to climb/Stardust to catch you,” goes the gentle first verse to “Dream Baby L’enfant des Reves.” Kaldor and Campagne’s Canadian background accounts for the bilingual twist, but it’s not distracting; the French, in fact, compounds the prairie night’s poufy pastel sweetness. –Tammy La Gorce

Product Description

This classic bilingual lullaby album takes on a new life with an exquisite cover illustration by artist Brian Deines that capture the prairies at dusk. The original CD, released in 1990 (Parents Choice Gold Award / American Library Association Notable Children’s Recording) is a straightforward collection of dream songs most original, some traditional, half in English, half in French, some solos, a few duets, often with simple, breathy arrangements and voices that complement each other beautifully.

Connie Kaldor is considered one of Canada’s most significant contemporary folk performers (Billboard Magazine). She has released a dozen albums and performed in major venues across the continent. And she has won 3 Juno awards (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy) for her children s recordings! Carmen Campagne is an extremely popular children s performer in the French-speaking world with cumulative sales well over 1 million units.

Review

Beautiful, soothing melodies. –School Library Journal

Kaldor sings in a warm, lush voice. –Kirkus Reviews

Get out the snuggly and warm up the rocker because you and Baby have a date. –Canadian Family