New parents may or may not have noticed an emerging trend in the lullabies for a newer generation–they seemed to be remixed and souped up. Jessica Risker has taken her twist on lullabies in the opposite direction. Her new album, Soft Moons: 20 Lullabies, has returned restful lullabies to their sweet, tender roots. But, instead of using your typical instruments, all of her songs are played on a hand-held music box.
Jessica, an artist and musician residing in downtown Chicago, originally composed the album of serenades for her brother’s new baby.
I recently won a 2016 artist grant from the city of Chicago to record the album! The resulting album is called Soft Moons: Twenty Lullabies. I am so pleased with how the lullabies turned out, and I want to share them with other people with babies in their lives.
Different from a traditional instrument where the musician creates the music, with a music box, the instrument itself actually reads and plays the notes. Jessica composes and transcribes the music to a strip of paper with holes punched in it. Then she feeds the strip through the playing card-sized music box while she cranks it by hand.
The songs are delightful, despite having no lyrics or truly recognizable tunes. The lilting notes produced by the music box are restful and soothing, yet with a listening appeal. Our copy of Soft Moons: 20 Lullabies resides in the minivan and my four-year-old requests it during our sometimes hectic commutes. Samples of Jessica’s music can be found on her website.
If you are looking for a very special and unique gift for a child or new mom in your life, and you’d like to support a local artist as well, purchase a copy of Soft Moons: 20 Lullabies. The sweet people–both big and small–in your life will love this precious gift of songs. The new musical album can be purchased as a compact disc or a digital download.
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Do you want to receive your own copy of the Soft Moons 2o Lullabies CD? Comment below with what lullaby you sing your child and one random person will win!
No purchase necessary, one winner will be chosen at random on Friday June 10, 2016. Winner must have a valid email and respond with 24 hours to claim prize.
Disclosure: The author received a copy of the musical album for review purposes only. All content and opinions expressed are the author’s own.
I sing my daughter twinkle twinkle little star before bed.