The Till Morning's Light: Lullabies and Other Quiet Songs

For her third album, vocalist Monica Hatch has put together a play list of 21 songs designed to attract the ears of children. But they are not limited to traditional children's songs. Instead, Hatch draws upon pop and jazz classics, Gregorian chants, classical, and traditional music to make this a unique "children's" album, to say the least. The result is a soothing, quiet, more-than-one-hour session that will be attractive not only to a child's ears, but to adults as well. In addition to having two jazz-oriented albums on the market, Hatch also doubles as a choir member and soloist at St. John's church in Worcester, MA. It's this background and experience that makes her so eminently suitable to sing the kinds of gentle tunes represented on this album. With the quiet guitar of Peter Clemente and heavenly harp of Judy Saiki providing most of the background music, the soothing voice of Hatch creates a sense of peace and tranquility that will fit the bill for lulling babies and young children off to Nod land and may well help adults to shuck off the cares and worries of the day. Original compositions and adaptations of traditional material by Dwight Mikkelsen also are critical to the album's attractiveness. Not only does Hatch put the right emphasis on the lyrics, but her wordless vocalizing, humming if you will, on such cuts as Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" transforms this jazz tune into a calm, comforting melody suitable for young children. What a nice way to introduce them to jazz at an early age. This is another fine effort from singer Hatch and is recommended.