From simple whimsical songs passed down from mother to mother in the oral tradition, to virtuostic performances of the classics by Bola Denieve and Atahualpa Yupanqui, these cradle songs contain the styles and influences that have made Latin music the vibrant, ever-evolving phenomenon that it is today.

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Including contributions from Tex-Mex power folkie Tish Hinojosa, Cuban opera diva Clara Alonso, and Nelie Lebron Robles, lead singer of Paracumbe, an Afro-Puerto Rican outfit, Latin Lullaby is a richly moving encounter with dream-inducing tunes sung in Spanish. Drawing on the relatively new folk customs of Latin America, this collection features elegant guitar noodling, classical orchestration, a cappella intimacy, and straight-ahead guitar and voice lullaby, as on "Duermete Mi Nino" ("Sleep My Child"), Venezuela's national anthem. Also present are progressively traditional ballads of parental love and protection, adult concerns, and gently rootsy narratives detailing the everyday responsibilities of child rearing. The latter is exemplified by Mili Bermejo's "La Cuna de Tu Hijo" ("The Cradle of Your Child"), in which a proud papa labors over crafting a customary baby bed, as well as by Cuban pop star Xiamantha Laugart's cheeky medley about a mother's negligence and a dancing baby. --Paige La Grone