Track Listing

1. Nursery Rhyme - Baka Forest People
2. Little Potato - Malcolm Dalglish
3. O! Que Mueve Mezes - Libana
4. C'Est la Vie - Henri Dikongu�
5. Happy Adoption Day - John McCutcheon
6. Circle of the Sun - Sally Rogers
7. Bay Magalhi - San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble
8. First Cry - Sharon Burch
9. Hey, Pretty Baby (Who's My Pretty Baby) - Woody Guthrie
10. Nepalese Lullaby - Neelam Shrestha
11. Durme, Durme - Tanja Solnik
12. On Children - Sweet Honey in the Rock
13. Mangina Zaza - Rossy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109736 in Music
• Released on: 1999-08-03
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Ellen Kushner's award-winning National Public Radio program Sound and Spirit celebrates the contrasts and connections of diverse world cultures, exploring traditions and themes that define the human experience. None transcends the language barriers better than the push and pull of family, especially the birth of a child. This album, a collection of songs from one of Kushner's most requested shows, highlights the rituals of childbirth and the joys and frustrations of baby's first year. From Serbo-Croatian and Nepalese lullabies, to a Navajo chant, to an American song about adoption, and finally a Baka nursery rhyme, these various baby-related meditations are brought to life by such artists as Sweet Honey in the Rock, Sally Rogers, and Woody Guthrie. The artists share the beauty of the miracle of birth, the heroism of women in labor, and the comforting sense of global unity in life's daily struggle. Best of all, they bring succor to that most neglected of nurturers, the exhausted young mother. --Alanna Nash

From the Label
THE RADIO PROGRAM: Created in 1996 by host Ellen Kushner and produced by WGBH for Public Radio International, Sound & Spirit is an award-winning, weekly series of hour-long programs that celebrate the human spirit through music and ideas. Each program focuses on a particular theme and explores connections between world cultures, examining different peoples' approaches to universal questions via all types of music and writings. Examples of past themes are motherhood, sacred spaces, pilgrimage, and women mystics.THE CD: First aired in 1996, Welcoming Children… has become a perennial favorite among listeners and one of Ellen's most popular and requested programs. Bearing "music for and about our youngest children" that describes the universal stresses and joys of an infant, the CD reflects the radio playlist, featuring artists and songs from the program. The tracks run from Sweet Honey and Woody Guthrie to Serbo-Croatian and Nepalese lullabies, a song about adoption, a Baka nursery rhyme, a medieval Sephardic song about going through labor, a Navajo chant, and several African genres touching on various baby-related topics.

Customer Reviews

Soothing, Inspiring, Life-affirming!
This is the rare album you listen to and find that you like song after song after song - nothing falls flat! A wonderful compilation of joyous music from around the globe, celebrating children - lullabies, paeans to motherhood, songs of love for your children. I first listened to it yesterday, played it again as soon as it was finished, and have been humming some of the songs all day today. The songs range from exotic (Baka forest people, a nursery chant) to playful [Little Potato, a joyful and fun song written for a baby, highlighting our use of food-based nicknames (sweetie pie, etc.)]. Some songs make you bounce in your chair; some bring tears to your eyes. I will listen to it myself, as well as play it for my nieces and nephews. I even like the liner notes. This album makes me want to have children!

Made for adults as much as for kids!
I have a 5-month-old and we both love this CD. Some of the songs are more instantly accessible than others, but after multiple listens I find myself loving all of them. This album is for those who want to expose their children to the sounds of the music and languages of other cultures, for parents who want to explore the universalities of parenthood, and for both parents and kids who just want to listen to fun music that really sticks in your head!

Definitely a cut above the usual children's CD
If you want to give your children an introduction to diverse and well done musical performances, this CD is for you. While most of the tonalities are modern and western (still showing a nice diversity of selection of these),several songs display very pleasingly more exotic tonalities: Asian, traditional African, and medieval (the Sephardic song). My 4-yr-old daughter's and my favorite songs are the nursery rhyme of the Baka Forest People (the only song on the CD that features the voices of children) and 'O! Que Mueve Mezes', which features a terrific performance by the group Libana. The solo & chorus of this song display beautiful, pure tones that are an excellent model for a child's singing. These two songs alone in my mind are worth the price of the CD (okay, 'Happy Adoption Day' also brings a regular tear to my eye). The only drawback is that the lyrics for the songs are not provided, and only sketchy translations given with the CD folder; a pity as it would be fun to sing along with several of the foreign language songs.