Wide-Eyed and Sleepy With Sukey

It's not a good idea to fall asleep when you're reviewing a CD.

That's what I kept telling myself while listening to Sukey Molloy's fourth CD, I AM SLEEPY!.

Yet the gentle, hypnotic melodies and sweet, lilting vocals kept calling to me.

"Just a li'l midday nappie, c'mon, who'll notice if your head is on the desk? Just blame deadline anxiety."

Sukey is following her previous 2012 release, I AM HAPPY! by going 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Ironically, most parents would say they are most happy when they are asleep. But this is a children's CD, so the goal was to produce songs to lull the little ones into slumber.

Sukey wanted to give parents a recording that created a peaceful, soothing atmosphere for toddlers, preschoolers, and mothers with newborns. The 17 tracks include some lesser-known traditional songs ("Russian Lullaby") and original fables ("The Story of Little Lamb" and "The Story of Twinkle Little Star").

I'm a stickler for lyrics (either in a booklet or artist's website) but the words to lullabies are pretty standard. Still, it's nice to have them on hand for immediate memorization.

Sukey has won numerous awards – Mom's Choice Award Gold (2010, 2012); NAPPA Honors Award (2007, 2009); and the Children's Music Web Award (2006). I AM SLEEPY! was co-produced by Grammy-winner Larry Alexander, who has worked with artists as varied as Willie Nelson to Bon Jovi to Diana Ross. The CD incorporates ambient sounds of crickets, owls, and lambs to create a netherworld of calm.

Here is the video for "The Story of Twinkle Little Star."


Like I said, I AM SLEEPY! almost worked on me. But I'm generally sleep-deprived. Will it work on your kids? There aren't many more pleasurable ways to get the little ones into bed than with a welcoming voice and warm, enveloping instrumentation. And if you nod off as well, all the better. I give I AM SLEEPY! a snoring ovation.

I AM SLEEPY! will be available on October 16 through Sukey Molloy's website, CDBABY, and Amazon.