Putumayo Kids Presents: Dreamland - World Lullabies

1	Naïma 4:29
2	Ny Fitiavako an'I Mama 4:13
3	A Lullabye 3:09
4	Thula Mama 4:06
5	Arriba del Cielo 2:32
6	Yi-Rrana 1:39
7	Lá Vai Alguém 3:00
8	Cradle Spell of Dunvegan 4:17
9	Numi Numi 2:57
10	Cradle Song 4:05
11	Canción Para Dormir a un Niño 2:25
12	Durme, Durme 1:50
13	Lullaby 1:48

Barnes & Noble

Pacify preschoolers -- and their parents -- with this tranquil and diverse collection. Little ones will drift into Dreamland with these serene songs, perfect for naptime, while caregivers will find balm for their frayed nerves or even a relaxing yoga soundtrack. The welcoming first track, "Naima," features the gorgeous vocals of the world-renowned West African singer Angelique Kidjo, who wrote the lullaby for her daughter, and the guitar wizardry of Carlos Santana. Eric Manana, who plays acoustic guitar, checks in with "Ny Fitoavako An i Mama," a touching homage to his mother that he sings in Malagasy, the tongue of his native Madagascar. Translated, his lines read "You are my shelter from the rain / You are my anchor in life's ocean / I'll always need your love and compassion." Canadian Teresa Doyle celebrates her Celtic roots with the ethereal "A Lullabye," a song she found in a collection of old Scottish airs. Another standout is Claudia Martinez's stellar performance on the traditional Mexican lullaby "Arriba del Cielo" (Above the Sky), rendered in a gorgeous, layered, a cappella arrangement. The disc's liner notes, offering background on the artists and songs, appear in English, Spanish, French, and German, enhancing the music's global view. This collection is soft and slow, suggesting parents' gentle whispers of love as their little ones fall asleep. Prepare for some heavy lids and contented hearts as the night falls into Dreamland. Amy Barkat

All Music Guide

Putumayo's Dreamland - World Lullabies & Soothing Songs gathers a baker's dozen of diverse but restful songs aimed at -- but not restricted to -- children. The collection takes care to represent as many countries and continents as possible, and likewise presents its liner notes in four different languages (English, Spanish, French, and Dutch) and offers phonetic pronunciations of the artists' names and song titles. However, the eclecticism and egalitarianism of the album feel anything but forced, as calming but beautifully distinct songs such as Angélique Kidjo & Carlos Santana's West African-inspired "Naïma," a lullaby written for and named after Kidjo's daughter, and Eric Manana's ode to his mother and his homeland of Madagascar, "Ny Fitiaavako An'I Mama," flow into each other. At other times the album makes unique cultural and musical contrasts, putting Teresa Doyle's wintry "A Lullabye," a traditional Scottish-Canadian song, next to the considerably warmer and softer "Thula Mama" by Sowetan vocalist Sibongile Khumalo. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian lullabies -- Virginia Rosa's "Lá Vai Alguém" and Fortuna's "Durme Durme" (which also reflects her Sephardic heritage) -- are among the most elegant on the collection; the Sanshin Cafe Orchestra's playful lullaby from Okinawa, Japan, "Cradle Song," is possibly the most creative, musically speaking. All of the songs on the album are so lovely and so invested with the artists' heritage that it's somewhat surprising that most of these songs were culled from other albums instead of being recorded for this project. Lynn Morrison's Scottish lullaby "Cradle Spell of Dunvegan" is a song she learned to sing her son to sleep, and tells the story of a man who marries a fairy and has a son with her; the fairy disappears, but returns when she hears the child crying in the night and soothes him. Tanja Solnik's Jewish lullaby "Numi Numi," Beatriz Pichi Malen's Argentinian "Canción Para Dormir a un Niño," and Zulya's Russian "Lullaby" have a similar bittersweet beauty, while Claudia Martinez's "Arriba del Cielo" and the Letterstick Band's aboriginal Australian lullaby "Yi-Rrana" are more on the cute and charming side. Along with offering many different ways to go to sleep, Dreamland - World Lullabies & Soothing Songs is a fascinating, educational collection of music for music fans old and young alike. Heather Phares