This CD has several qualities that I would normally complain about. There are those keyboards playing out in the ozone, hypnotic note patterns and soft singing. Without fail, the arrangements are slow and sleepy; Cave Of Gold is a real snoozer.
Ah, but that's the idea! This is a collection of lullabies.
Lynn Morrison's crooning voice is well-suited to this type of material, and
she dubs in her own background harmonies, which often sound somewhat otherwordly.
That otherworldliness is in keeping with the song texts; the lyrics often deal
with fairies, ghosts, mermaids and 
ancient
Celtic gods. The title track tells of a piper's fatal venture into a cave in
search of gold, only to fall afoul the treasure's guardian. Several of the songs
have stories behind them, and these are included in condensed version in the
insert.
The music provides an effective backdrop to the singing. It never gets terribly complex, but it doesn't get dull, and most importantly, it doesn't distract from the songs or from the mood. I would have preferred less of the electronic keyboards, which sound cold to my ears, and instead to have heard more of the warmer sounding accordion, harp, and cello.
I figured that the surest test of lullabies was to play them for children. I have two, and I tried this music on them. After all, something has to work, short of tranquilizer darts. The results were mixed. The recording did have the desired effect on my son (age 8 months), who was soothed and relaxed almost against his will, easing the transition toward sleep. On the other hand, my daughter (age 4, going on 16) seemed unfazed by the music, except as an excuse to delay bedtime by insisting on hearing the disc in its entirety. Oh well, a fifty percent success rate isn't bad. One of them is sleeping soundly now. As for the other one, a tranquilizer dart may be just the thing.
