Moondreamer

To paraphrase Cheryl's Is It Peace or Is It Prozac?, when the moon is full, and the world's too close, but for some reason or another, you can't update your dose ... then this album might be the perfect solution.

I found out about this album accidentally. Anne Hills was at one of Cheryl's concerts at Upper Merion Township. I was talking to Cheryl when Anne arrived, and played "fly on the wall" while they caught up with each other. Cheryl asked Anne if she would sing on one of her songs, and they settled on "Howl at the Moon".

When that time came in the program, Cheryl asked Anne to come up, and Cheryl made some comment about Anne having recorded the song. I talked to Anne after the show (it was funny to see such a well respected folk singer getting flack from her daughter "Come on Mom, can't we go now?" ) Anyway, I asked Anne if she could send me a copy of her recording so I could add it to the site, and she mentioned that it was actually Priscilla's album. She said she would pass my request on to Priscilla. It turns out that, although the album is by Priscilla, three of the songs were written by Anne.

The CD finally arrived, and I must confess that I thoroughly enjoyed the CD. Actually, I would have written this review earlier, but I lent it to a friend at work and he kept it for several days because he wanted to keep listening to it. I expect that this album will exist in MP3 form on my hard drive at work for those days when tensions run high.

This is not your typical Priscilla Herdman album. When her daughter was very young, she recorded an album of lullabys. Apparently, lots of people liked it, and after years of requests, Priscilla decided to put out a second lullaby album. You can find out more about Priscilla and her albums from her website at http://priscillaherdman.com.

Not all of the songs are slow, not all of them are really geared for kids. (The liner notes calls it "A new collection of lullabies for grownups and their children".) You can easily fool your kids into thinking you are playing it for them. However you choose to listen, the net effect of listening to this album is a very relaxed state of mind.

Howl at the Moon is the first track. Priscilla and Anne's voices blend nicely on this song. A great version to listen to with your feet up, a favorite drink in hand, headphones on, and your eyes closed. When it is over, you won't feel the need to up your dose.

Al Petteway, who has often appeared on Cheryl's albums, and even in person a few times, plays guitar on this album.