Courtesy: Razor & Tie
Getting infants and toddlers to sleep, whether for a nap or for the night, is not always the easiest task. Anyone who has/had a child or even who works/worked with children will attest to this. From mobiles that play gentle music to playing to so many other means, parents and childcare workers alike have used so many methods to get little ones to sleep. Some work better than others and vice versa. This past Friday, January 26, Razor & Tie Records released a new tool to get infants and even toddlers down for a nap in the form of the new compilation record Lullapop Lullabies. This 21-song collection pulls some of the biggest pop hits from the past couple of years and presents them in harp-centered arrangements that will not only ensure children’s sleep, but also a certain interest from older listeners. The songs and the arrangements thereof are two of this record’s most important elements and will be discussed over the course of this examination. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will be discussed, too. Each element is important in its own way to the whole of this collection. All things considered, they make Lullapop Lullabies a record that new parents and childcare workers alike will appreciate.
Razor & Tie Records’ new lullaby collection Lullapop Lullabies is one of the most intriguing new children’s offerings to come along so far in this still young year. It can be said in listening through the record that it is a presentation that new parents will appreciate just as much as childcare workers. That is due in part to the record’s chosen songs. The record opens with the gentle, harp-centered take of Luis Fonsi’s hit song ‘Despacito.’ The song’s steamy lyrics are voiced here by a gentle, flowing harp arrangement that will instantly put listeners of any age at ease while still staying true to the song’s source material. Ed Sheeran, who just won a Grammy on Sunday for his hit song ‘Shape of You’ comes next and is then followed by lots more harp-centered takes on Justin Timberlake’s hit ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!,’ Bruno Mars’ ‘That’s What I Like’, Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ and so many others. Simply put, the songs that make up the body of this record are works that will be familiar to any number of grown-up listeners, giving plenty of interest to the record for said listeners. Being that the record’s younger listeners will have no clue as to the songs’ identities, their arrangements will appeal just as much to them as to older listeners. That being the case, it becomes clear why the songs featured in this record are so important to its overall presentation. The noted arrangements are just as important to discuss as the featured songs.
It has already been noted that the arrangements featured in each of the record’s songs is built around a harp. From one song to the next, additional string arrangements are added at various points as are keyboard lines. The whole of those elements combine to make the record in whole sound like so many compilations released via Vitamin Records except better. The arrangements put the songs into a format that listeners maybe might have never heard, in turn making them potentially more appealing. At the same time, hearing harp-centered arrangement after harp-centered arrangement for nearly an hour can get tedious for older listeners, even despite the songs being so familiar. Of course younger listeners won’t mind since those continued arrangements are certain to keep little ones calm as long as they sleep, insuring plenty of pleasant dreams. To that end, the arrangements presented in the featured songs prove to be critical in their own way to this collection. They will insure younger listeners’ sleep soundly while in small doses, they are certain to entertain older listeners familiar with the songs. The arrangements are not the last of the album’s most important elements. The record’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.
From beginning to end, Lullapop Lullabies maintains a very constant gentile energy in each song. Given, some of the arrangements are minutely more upbeat than others. By and large though, the songs’ energies remain relatively stable throughout the course of the record’s run. This is important to note because it means parents and child care workers could easily put this record on at naptime or bedtime and just let it run without worry of the child being surprised (or parents either for that matter). That stable energy is certain to keep young minds calm even in r.e.m. sleep. This in turn insures a longer, richer sleep for little ones, again proving the importance of the album’s sequence. When the stability of the songs’ energies is set alongside the record’s familiar songs and their unique arrangements, the whole of those elements makes the record overall a presentation that is certain to earn its own place in homes with young children and in child care centers alike.
Razor & Tie’s new family music record Lullapop Lullabies is a work that is certain to appeal just as much to new parents and child care workers as it will to its infant and toddler audiences. That is proven in part through an expansive 21-song set that the noted older audiences will recognize. Those same audiences will find the songs’ gentle arrangements interesting new takes on the songs while little ones will find the arrangements soothing, leading easily to their lengthy and deep sleep. That insurance of rest is strengthened even more due to the record’s sequencing. When it is joined with the songs and their arrangements, the whole of said elements makes Lullapop Lullabies a record that is certain to find its place in any new family’s home just as much as any child care center. It is available now in stores and online, and can be streamed and downloaded here. More information on this and other titles from Razor & Tie is available online now at:
Website: http://razorandtie.com
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