OK, to begin with, no, that's not the best album cover I've ever seen ("What exactly is she looking at?," you might be thinking). But parenting is about not judging things by their cover and expecting everything to be perfectly designed, because if you do, you'll be disappointed and miss out on some cool stuff.
So My Precious One, the third album from New Jersey-based Miss Amy does have some cool stuff. Unlike her first two CDs, which took a fairly uptempo approach, this CD, released last year, is a collection of quiet songs and lullabies. It's also my favorite of her three CDs. As lullaby albums go, it deftly sidesteps the traditional list of lullabies, only including "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "The Water Is Wide" as familiar melodies here. While some songs don't work so well (the whistling on the cowboy-inspired "Get Along" being a prime example), there are some sweet arrangements here, particularly the wordless vocals on "Soft As the Snow" and "Goodnight Sweetheart." I also like the sly humor of recording a lullaby called "Are You Ready To Rock?"
These are for the most part actual lullabies, so I'll peg the age range here at ages 0 through 5. You can samples from the album (which also raises funds for the March of Dimes) at its CD Baby page or hear her rendition of "The Water Is Wide" at her Myspace page.
There's no reinventing the wheel here, Miss Amy's My Precious One is simply an album of lullabies that melds tasteful arrangements with a nice voice and sweet melodies. As lullaby albums go, this is a pretty good one.
