Search - Various Artists :: For Our Children Too

The 1996 follow-up CD to For Our Children packs less romp and more hush. Although the stellar lineup includes Celine Dion, Seal, Faith Hill, Natalie Cole, Cher, Luther Vandross, and others, For Our Children, Too is really a lullaby album and its predecessor is a party record. There are more ballads, more R&B singers, and more arrangements mired in overproduction. That said, if you want a gentler collection of songs, this might be your first choice. Seal turns in a poignant rendition of "Puff the Magic Dragon," while Natalie Cole's "Both Sides Now" shows how universal that old Joni Mitchell classic really is. James Taylor and Carly Simon's memorable hit "Mockingbird" is also featured, along with Cher doing a predictable interpretation of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella. Celine gives "Brahm's Lullaby" her trademark Dion treatment and Luther Vandross turns the protest anthem "If I Had a Hammer" into a moving meditation on peace and equality. Did someone say this music might be too sophisticated for kids? Still, it's for a great cause. --Martin Keller