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You’ve heard it from a parent, a doctor, or a friend. “Get a good night’s sleep and you will feel better.” It turns out that one is quite true. Your body needs sleep to repair tissue, regulate hormones, and fight off tension. The Mindful Music Association, a global service organization dedicated to bringing new music to all audiences offers Sweet Dreams - Music for Sleep, a remarkable compilation album of thirty-six mood enhancing, sleep aiding tracks of quiet, refined music to help you get that all important rest time. The album features talented, caring composers who write poignant music for a purpose. I am honored to call many of these artists my friends. Here is a sampling of that music.

The album opens with guitarist Robert Linton offering up Beneath the Cloudless Sky. This soft dreamy ballad sets the mood for the album, assuring the listener that dreams are on their way. With just a touch of synth accompaniment, the gentle, drifting quality of the music will get you in the right mood for blissful sleep.

This is my first encounter with pianist Bob Yonker and my first thought is I love this man’s phrasing on the tune Embrace of Grace. It is a hymn without the need for four walls and a roof. It is a sweet, silent prayer uttered in unheard words, but fervent nonetheless. It is thoughtful quietude made up of musical notes.

Melanie Thompson renders a rather fragile tune called Far Away. It is a soft, slow song of yearning. Of knowing that your dreams are too far to touch, but not too far to hope for. This is music that pauses time and offers a much needed respite. If I had to choose a favorite on the album, this would be it, but then I would have to include all the others    

Spellbound, by noted pianist Robin Spielberg, is a music box filled with delicate reveries. All we need do is open the lid and the magic spills out. Her flowing, fantastic melody is the stuff that dreams are made of. If you listen close enough, you can hear the sparkling stars in the heavens.   

Siren by New Age vocalist Seay is a fairytale song of dreamy nights on the edge of the sea. But no sandman here. Instead we hear the hypnotic call of an ancestral voice beckoning us to a star filled night of calm slumber. The vast peaceful ocean is just a dream away.

Gentle flute and glistening synth joyfully combine on Why and the Wherefore by Al Jewer and Andy Mitran as they ponder questions best left answered in the hands of Morpheus. Their nomadic refrain creates a nebulous atmosphere in which you are weightless, aimless, and receptive to all imaginings.  

Ethereal harp sings tenderly to you on Water Lilies by Kristin Agresta Copely. The delicate melody is the music that conjures up impressions of Monet in every dream. Copley’s music fairly ripples as it soothes the psyche with subtle refrains of a still pond that is overfilled with life. There are twenty nine other songs just a passionate, just as full of new day possibilities on the recording. For is that not a part of sleep as well?

I reviewed Sweet Dreams - Music for Sleep and found it more than adequate to its task. The only exception I had was a lack of space to write about each and every track in a positive way as all the songs are noteworthy in one form or another. If you want music that creates a perfect atmosphere for restful sleep or you want to improve concentration, boost brain power, or reduce stress in this harried world, then put this album on and hit REPLAY. Highly listenable.

- R J Lannan, Artisan Music Reviews