The Lullaby Album

I've never been one who can sleep without some kind of background noise, whether it be a fan or some soft music. Turns out...my kids are just like me in that sense.

When Garrett and Landon were born, I put the CD player in their room, along with a favorite lullaby CD. Cole and Bella seemed to adapt well but there were times they asked me to put on the radio for them, so they could have something to listen to before falling asleep.

Last week, Jennifer Thomas, a pianist and composer from Seattle, WA, contacted me about her new CD, The Lullaby Album. As soon as she mentioned "lullaby", I was more than happy to receive a complimentary CD and let the kids listen to it.

As a new mom herself, Jennifer's son had difficulty sleeping. She spent many nights with him in his swing next to her at the piano as she played and made up lullabies for him. After several months doing that, she decided to turn her lullabies into an album.

What's really special about this album is that Jennifer's mother, Carolyn Southworth, joined along and it became a truly wonderful Mother-Daughter work of art. Together, they each wrote half of the songs, recorded and produced them. This is their 2nd album each.

Jennifer and Carolyn were fortunate enough to work with some amazing musicians on the album – Emmy award winning composer Jace Vek, Grammy Nominated artist/producer Paul Speer, Award winning vocalists Jillian Goldin and Lori Cunnigham. In the end, they ended up with a 2–disc lullaby album, which they are so excited about.

After we received the CD album, Cole and Bella listened to a little bit of both disks - one is lullabies with a solo piano (simple and elegant, perfect for calming at bedtime) and the other is piano with orchestra (for those who like a little more to listen to). They chose the piano with orchestra for that first night.

Cole and Bella recognized some of the songs, such as Brahm's Lullaby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and All Through the Night (which is my personal favorite and one of many lullabies I sang to them when they were young babies). They enjoyed many of the other songs, which were written by either Jennifer or Carolyn...such as Baby of Mine (Preston's song) and Dream Weaver. The words to some of the songs are in the disk cover, which is helpful for those of us who can barely remember our first names, let alone an entire lullaby.

The funny thing is that Cole was struggling to stay awake so he could listen to the music. He didn't want to miss a thing. Bella kept telling me she wasn't tired so I asked her to just lay still, close her eyes and listen to the music. I left the room for a few minutes and when I came back, they were both sound asleep....looking so angelic and peaceful, as children often do when they're sleeping.

Every night since then, they've listened to the piano with orchestra, which is the one they prefer. I've been listening to the solo piano to help me unwind before bedtime. All the arrangements are beautiful....very calming and serene.

The Lullaby Album is available for purchase through the music store on Jennifer's site. She's currently running a special where if you buy 2 or more CD's, each CD is only $9.99! That's a great deal! So when you buy one for yourself, you can get an extra one for a mommy friend of yours or a new mommy-to-be (it would make a great baby shower gift). The CD is also available for purchase through Amazon, iTunes and Cdbaby but you'll get the best deal by buying it directly from Jennifer's site.

And....she has been generous enough to offer one of my readers a chance to win their own The Lullaby Album!!

GIVEAWAY - GIVEAWAY - GIVEAWAY

To enter the giveaway, simply visit the site Jennifer Thomas Music and then come back here and tell me which music clip is your favorite. All the songs on both disks are listed and all you have to do is click on the lullabies and you'll get to hear a sample of that song.

For extra entries:
** You must complete the first entry above for other entries to count. Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each additional entry.

-- Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to my blog
-- Add yourself to my follower list (or let me know you are already following)
-- Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (leave the URL of your tweet)

This contest ends on Monday, November 16, 2009 at 9:00 pm PST. One winner will be chosen via Random.org. Please make sure you leave your e-mail address in your comment if it's not accessible on your blog profile.

Tweet

Pin It