Sing Over Me: Worship Songs and Lullabies

Sounds like … soothing inspirational pop featuring Nichole Nordeman, Janna Long, Christy Nockels, Erin O'Donnell, and Bethany Dillon that recalls the lighter side of Twila Paris, Kathy Troccoli, and Christine DentéAt a glance … sure to appeal to mothers and mothers-to-be (and to some extent, their babies), Sing Over Me is a pleasantly tranquil collection of worship tunes and lullabiesTrack Listing How Great Is Our God - Bethany Dillon Here I Am to Worship - Erin O'Donnell w/ Christy Nockels You Are Good - Nichole Nordeman w/ Erin O'Donnell May the Words of My Mouth - Christy Nockels w/ Janna Long How Deep the Father's Love for Us - Nichole Nordeman Sing Over Me - Bethany Dillon w/ Nichole Nordeman Whole World in His Hands - Christy Nockels Hold On to Jesus - Erin O'Donnell w/ Janna Long We Fall Down - Nichole Nordeman Lord You Have My Heart - Janna Long w/ Christy Nockels Unwavering - Bethany Dillon Jesus Loves Me - Christy Nockels

There's worship music for every flavor nowadays, and just like fans of pop, gospel, and hard rock, mothers too require worship music that suits their hectic lifestyle. Between feedings, diapers, playtime, diapers, baths, naps, and more diapers, most mothers leap at the chance to get away for a moment of quiet time and reflection. To facilitate that, Sparrow Records was proactive in asking four prominent moms (and one non-mom) to record Sing Over Me: Worship Songs and Lullabies, a project aimed at mothers and soon-to-be-mothers looking for time alone with their Maker.

Like other female-driven, special-event albums in the past (Listen to Our Hearts, Heaven & Earth, In Christ Alone—all Sparrow compilations, coincidentally), Sing Over Me takes a similarly vertical approach, but with a more inspirational and lulling ambiance. Indeed, the music is peaceful enough to put you to sleep, and given the album's intent and target demographic, this is a good thing.

Vocalists/mothers Nichole Nordeman, Janna Long (Avalon), Christy Nockels (Watermark), and Erin O'Donnell, along with 17-year-old Bethany Dillon, all trade vocal duties evenly, taking the lead, dueting, or sometimes simply fading into the background, as appropriate. Some voices are more suited for this kind of music than others, though. The gentle quality of Nordeman and O'Donnell generally fare better than the powerhouse delivery of Long and Nockels, who on occasion show difficulty expressing restraint and subtlety.

Producer Ed Cash (Dillon, Chris Tomlin) handles the source material capably, transforming worshipful power anthems like "How Great Is Our God" and "Here I Am to Worship" into soothing, serene meditations. Among the standards and originals, the only real standout is "Hold On to Jesus," a song O'Donnell originally recorded for her daughter in 2001. All things considered, Sing Over Me delivers on the promise of its title, even if it does skew in favor of worship directed to God over lullabies for the little ones.