This collection of lullabies from around the world comes direct from the archives of the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève (MEG), specifically from MEG’s Archives Internationals de Musique Populaire (AIMP); all pieces have been previously published on various labels with copies held in the AIMP. The lullabies, hand-picked by MEG’s Madeleine Leclair, are diverse, spanning five continents and a period of more than sixty years (the earliest, a song from the United States, was recorded in 1940; the longest, a song recorded in Romania in 2004). The compilation, then, is an excellent sampler of music from various cultures which has as its primary function the intent to settle young children.

The fold-out double-sided page of notes makes some broad comments about the role of lullabies and their musical characteristics, and a handful of pieces are singled out for special mention, otherwise the accompanying notes are brief, and the listener is left to scan the track details for any insights into the genres and recordings. This is the challenge of such multi-sited compilations; thankfully, the track details are comprehensive enough for the interested listener to be able to pursue individual recordings in their previously published form and/or through the archive, thereby unlocking further information. Some pieces, however, call for particular comment: for those familiar with the controversy surrounding past sampling of the lullaby (rorogwela) as sung by Afunakwa of the Solomon Islands (see Feld Reference Feld2000), it is some form of sweet justice to see it republished here, though the notes only briefly allude to its history.

For parents of young children the title is tempting as a promise to soothe the young; however, as attractive as this idea may be, it is likely that the content is simply too diverse to have this effect: tracks are short (the majority of tracks being less than two minutes in length) and move swiftly through a variety of instrumentation including solo voice, accompanied voice, solo oud, solo guitar, instrumental ensemble and choral music. Rather than detracting from the publication, however, it is this diversity that makes the album a useful starting point for the study of music as lullaby around the world.

This album is reportedly the first collaboration between MEG and Mental Groove Records; it will be interesting to see if future collaborations take place, and what these might look like.