Beyond The Night Sky (Lullabies For Guitar)

by Ross BoissoneauHypnotic, enticing and compelling, this set of lullabies may find its way onto the CD player long after the little ones have drifted off to sleep. It's a delightful mix of cultures that is more successful than most efforts of its ilk, primarily for two reasons. First is the fact that the songs use similar instrumentation throughout, with the exception of added percussion on "A La Nanita Nana," and pennywhistle on "Waters of Time," and kora and vocals on "Mama, Papa." Second is the fact that that instrumentation consists in large parts of de Grassi, one of the most engaging guitarists on the music scene. Technically adept, yes, but also intimate and thoroughly musical, though that seems like faint praise indeed for such a lovely recording.