Customer Reviews

Siente: Night Songs from Around the World

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This was a perfect week for lullaby music.

Not for my kids. They've outgrown the need for soothing sounds at nighttime. They'd just as soon drift off to sleep listening to The Beatles or Jason Mraz.

No, I'm the one who wanted to hear lullabies as I recovered from the flu and a couple of very tiring days of teaching.

I've found perfection with the new CD Siente: Night Songs From Around The World from classical guitarist Hilary Field and vocalist Patrice O'Neill. Siente is a collection of lullabies from around the world, sung in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

The warm vocals and lush instrumentation from the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra make for an absolutely beautiful listening experience. It's like a mental massage, bringing a real sense of peace and calm to my frazzled brain at the end of the day.

The artists' website describes their CD as "lullabies for grownups... and their kids!"

Forget the kids. This one's just for me. Well, almost. My daughter just asked to play this CD in her room tonight. I guess you never outgrow this kind of beautiful music.

Siente is a thoughtful, internationally-oriented album of "night songs" from such varied cultures and countries as the Basque region of Spain, Ireland, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Sephardic tradition.

Musicianship is impeccable, with Hilary Field taking center stage on guitar and backed by violin, flute, accordion, mandolin, English horn, bass, and cello on various tracks. Like Mae Robertson, Patrice O'Neill has just the kind of warm, angelic voice required for the task, and her renderings of these musical selections from varying cultures are all believable, an accomplishment considering the wide variation in their backgrounds. Siente offers an interesting and engaging approach both to lullabies in world music and to classical music ensembles for children.

The music on this CD is magic. Every song is enchanting and although I have played this CD at least a thousand times, I never cease to be captivated by its charm. I have one copy for daughter for her bed time and one for me to help me fall asleep. As a new mom this is number one on my gift giving list to other new parents!