Availability: Online as CD or MP3 Download
Average Price: $8.88/MP3 $12.97/CD
Product Link: Wabby Wabbit’s Lullabies & Snuggle Songs
Rating:

Everything is a matter of taste. There is no question that the music on this disk is very sweet. Maybe a little too sweet. Think Laurence Welk Lite (we know, but really!). There was a time in our great country where Mr. Welk’s music represented more or less mainstream tastes. But as the years went by his style fell more and more into niche markets of older audiences.

A similar thing may be said of the music presented on this disk. While there was a time this music could be played for children as old as 7 or 8, today children much younger would already be getting antsy. Unlike some other disks we have reviewed there is no question this is talking to very young children. The best of the songs are reminiscent of some old Peter, Paul & Mary and a bit too much of Carol King’s “Tapestry” in track five (I counted more than 8 identical bars).

Later we hear track eight called “I’ll Be There”, that again is very sweet but is best described as one of those musical filler interludes in a movie you were sorry you chose in the first place. You know those interludes. The ones where the scriptwriter was too lazy to write the important emotionally charged scene the movie really needed so the producer hands it off to a musician to …ahem. Sorry, I digress.

Throughout the disk we hear all the prerequisite cliches like “Painted Ponies”, “buttercups”, and references to “Jack Be Nimble” and a “Wynken, Blynken & Nod” song. It’s all there, and it is all done with a nice soothing voice and charmingly beautiful musical accompaniment. Yet we have a hard time getting very excited about it.

Maybe this is our own problem, after all, should a lullaby be something we actually get excited about? I mean, should we hold it against a disk of lullabies that the music just puts us to sleep? Or is even asking such questions just getting way too Carrie Bradshaw for you? We’ve listened to other lullaby CDs and haven’t quite had this reaction. Some are very poorly produced, this is not an issue with Wabby. So what is it, exactly, that’s missing? It’s hard to put a finger on it. It’s not something we have against lullabies in general, as there are lullaby CDs out there that we absolutely love. This just isn’t one of them. Maybe we simply have a taste that is a bit too cosmopolitan.

The packaging is decently done in a standard jewel case, with the list of songs and with Wabby Wabbit on the CD insert and CD proclaiming “Wabby Wabbit Loves Ya!”.  The insert also goes on to talk about the creation and mission of Wabby Wabbit. Kevin Roth definitely has his heart in the right place, and is donating a portion of sales from all of Wabby Wabbit’s Enterprises to charities around the world.  Maybe just maybe the world really is sometimes as sweet as these lullabies and we’re just too jaded.

The bottom line is: Have an infant? This is a wonderful disk for them to listen to. Need a gift for a friend that just had a baby? This could be a nice extra for the gift basket. Once they become toddlers this will probably be played a lot less as their musical tastes mature.