Four long-time friends and musical collaborators - Stew, Heidi Rodewald, Michael Whitmore, and Jeff Merchant - played a handful of terrific live gigs together, and the Lullabies were born. Veterans of such bands as the Negro Problem, PG-13, the Michael Whitmore Some'tet, and Wednesday Week, to name just a few, the four are all distinctive singers, players, and songwriters. As the Lullabies, they tackle each other's songs, recasting and enhancing them as perhaps only old compatriots can. Thus Whitmore's brooding, rough-hewn "Maps" gets a dash of pop sensibility, with some lush vocal harmonies. Likewise, Merchant's "Shamgrila," originally performed by PG-13, gets redone with an uneasy cocktail feel. Another standout track is Rodewald's "Read My Eyes," a gorgeous foray into girl group psychedelia. The CD's final song, Stew's "Les Artistes Cafe" (a live favorite) ruefully recounts the quest for a formerly cool hangout, which now has "too much attitude for such a tiny room." But with its intimate, relaxed feel of old friends hanging out together, the Lullabies CD is the real Les Artistes Cafe - no posing here, but true artistic camaraderie (not to mention fun). It's a great place to spend some time. -- Gwynne Garfinkle, Silver Lake, California