Gretchen Eichberger: Press

Maybe it's been a long and sleepy week, but I'm very taken by this CD.

Songs For Sleepy Beings is the creation of Michigan's Gretchen Eichberger-Kudlack, who put together Half Moon, an old-timey string band which here plays a set of quiet-time folk music on the first half of this CD. Traditional lullabyes ("Pretty Little Horses") mingle with ever-so-slightly more current lullabyes ("Goodnight Little Gwen," attributed to Woody Guthrie).

The musicianship here is first-rate, with the Half Moon musicians hitting just the right balance of technical expertise and tenderness, saving the album from the mushiness which afflicts many lullaby CDs. The band rightly plays second fiddle (if you'll pardon the pun) to Eichberger-Kudlack, who has a clear, bright voice. Initially her voice seems too bright for a quiet-time CD, but the secret genius behind the CD's appeal is the tracking, as the music and arrangements grow ever-so-slightly dimmer with each track. By the time the CD hits track 7, "Baby's Bed's A Silver Moon," 20 minutes in, her vocals are much more appropriate for a sleepy baby. Following that is another 15 minutes of Eichberger-Kudlack playing familiar lullabyes unaccompanied (mostly) on piano (there's a couple tracks with vocals). By this time your child (or you) will probably be fast asleep.

The album is most appropriate for kids ages birth through 6. You can hear clips at the album's CDBaby page, or listen to some complete songs at the Half Moon music page. The packaging (featuring artwork by Jamey Barnard), I should note, is simple but very pretty.

I hear few lullaby CDs I can recommend whole-heartedly. Songs for Sleepy Beings is the exception -- it meets that high standard. Besides being a lovely gift for new parents, you might want to consider it for your own family. Definitely recommended.

This very pleasant album by Michigan singer-songwriter Gretchen Eichberger-Kudlack includes both traditional vocal lullabies and a selection of appropriate instrumental pieces by Schumann, Brahms, and Bach. The collection is well designed for its purpose, with quieter songs placed in the album's latter half to ease its audience intno dreamland.

Three for Your Stereo
HALF MOON MUSICIANS - “Songs for Sleepy Beings” (Half Moon)
The biggest question accompanying this release - put together by singer Gretchen Eichberger-Kudlack - is why isn’t Eichberger-Kudlack the host of a public television children’s TV show yet? Her quietly melodic, kindergarten-friendly
vocals coupled with the old-fashioned stylings of piano and stringed instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass) would
seriously be perfect alongside a few fake-fur, jug-band, straw-hat-wearing puppets, lulling the kiddies to sleep. But that
actually is the point of this whole set, which is arranged so that the songs get quieter and quieter (and the vocals more and more hushed) as the album progresses.
“Hobo’s Lullaby” features Eichberger-Kudlack singing of a train’s “steel wheels humming” alongside Don Julin’s delicate mandolin work; the retooled “Blue Betsie Valley” is one you’ll recognize, revamped lyrically for a Northern Michigan audience; and “Raisins and Almonds” is a prettily-haunting Hebrew folk song evocative of simpler times and more exotic places.
Immediately following the initial round of more story-based songs are a second series of tracks that are mostly Eichberger-Kudlack playing calming lullabies (Schumann, Bach) on the piano; it’s a carefully thought-out package, a smart concept, and an album that’s performed with sincerity and homegrown talent.

Half Moon: Songs for Sleepy Beings. CD. approx. 35 min. Sleepy Beings. 2008. $15.
PreS-K—The seven numbers performed by Gretchen Eichberger are traditional bluegrass songs that will be unfamiliar to many listeners, including "Pretty Little Horses," a southern plantation lullaby; "Blue Betsie Valley," a Midwest folk song; and "Raisins and Almonds," a Hebrew folk song. Eichberger's clear, pure voice beautifully blends with guitar, mandolin, banjo, and other instruments. The second half of the album is comprised of short pieces for solo piano and on occasion voice, such as Schumann's "Of Strange Lands and People," Brahms's traditional "Wiegenlied," and three Bach minuets. This unique bedtime collection will appeal to those looking for a new take on the lullaby genre. A nice addition for larger collections.—Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL

NAPPA review
Half Moon – Songs for Sleepy Beings, Gretchen Eichberger, Sleepybeings, 2008; $15; www.sleepybeings.com; for all ages. This bluegrass-infused collection digs deep into folk traditions including the American South and Midwest, Germany and the Manx Islands. Played mostly on banjo and piano, these songs gradually grow quieter as the album progresses to ease your little ones into the Land of Nod.