CD review: “Rockabye Baby! More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles”
Children’s
“Rockabye Baby! More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles” (Rockabye Baby! Records)
Parents and grandparents who want to expose their tots to The Beatles’ diverse and masterful music will find “Rockabye Baby! More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles” a helpful addition to their CD collections.
For my family, the latest “Rockabye Baby!” release is an effective complement to the animated film and songtrack “Yellow Submarine.” The movie and CD were favorites of my older son, now 14, and now my younger son, 2, is enchanted with the flamboyant animation and irresistible melodies of “Yellow Submarine.”
The new lullaby album allows my toddler to take his newfound love for the Fab Four into his room at bedtime. It features an illustration of the iconic sub on the cover and two songs, the title track (which also was included on the first “Rockabye Baby!” collection of Beatles’ music) and “All You Need Is Love.”
The Beatles’ stellar songwriting proves ideal for the “Rockabye Baby!” treatment, which transforms popular rock songs into instrumental lullabies using bells, the mellotron and similar instruments. The distinctive melodies of “All You Need Is Love” and “Yellow Submarine” (complete with gentle sea sounds) ring through even without the memorable lyrics.
The album includes fanciful songs such as “Octopus’s Garden,” “Penny Lane” and “Across the Universe” that are great for capturing young imaginations. Mike Baiardi, who arranged and performed the album, also successfully adapts the lovely ballads “Dear Prudence” and “In My Life.”
As with most “Rockabye Baby!” offerings, converting some of The Beatles’ peppy pop hits proves problematic. “Good Day Sunshine” keeps its brightness and still calms, but the lullaby version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” irritates more than soothes. And “Hello, Goodbye” tinkles along in fine form but the “Hela, hey-ba hello-a” at the end can’t be recreated with any instrument and Baiardi doesn’t even try.
Still, “Rockabye Baby! More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles” will get parents and children softly and happily singing their way to sleep.
- BAM
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