Justin's Lullaby CD an Eye-Opener

Excitement!

A Justin Roberts concert experience gets the kids on their feet; moving, singing, repeating simple hand or body motions (clapping, arms wide) in conjunction with the songs.

Astonishment!

LULLABY, Justin Roberts' new CD, features 10 pleasing orchestral pieces that will get the kids off to sleep; shuffling, yawning, repeating simple hand or body motions (stretching, brushing teeth) in conjunction with bedtime.

When a children's music act tries to broaden their range, the three most common digressions are world music, re-interpretations of classics, and lullabies. There's something transfixing about hearing members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra back up a voice we've learned to love and respect over the past few years.

The opening piano on "Count Them As They Go" sets the mood. How can I, as a parent, calm my child's over-stimulated brain and soothe him to sleep?

An oak tree stands tall
Green leaves then red and yellow
They're holding on
Now count them as they go
Just count them as they go

The closest to "concert" Justin might be "What the Stork Sent," with vocals from Lisa Estridge and Donica Henderson from the Chicago production of HAIRSPRAY. The song contains a tease of a "baa baa baa" refrain that swirls around at least one number of every Justin Roberts' CD. And "A Wild One" did indeed make my wife think Justin was covering a Van Morrison song (no, it's an original composition).

Have I used enough synonyms for "mellow" to adequately describe this CD? LULLABY is not your typical children's music CD and truly a delight from a consistently entertaining performer. By nearly putting me to sleep, Justin Roberts woke me up through the evolution of his musical process.

 Here is the video for the lead track, "Count Them as They Go":




LULLABY is available on November 19 from Justin Roberts' website, Amazon, CDBABY, and iTunes.