The Innocence Mission have, over the course of a decade, created a half dozen albums which celebrate small pleasures, fragile details and the wistful edges of life. As the title suggests, Now the Day Is Over offers a set of lullabies. The dozen covers and one original were not all written as bedtime reveries, but it's a testament to the graceful nuances Don and Karen Peris that such a familiar song as "What A Wonderful World" can bring out the twinkling stars of nighttime with heartfelt purity. Free of embellishments, either internal or studio created, Karen's vocals are at once magical and direct. The trio has done much more than to simply streamline or slow down these selections, they've found the core of each number and built around it only that which is necessary. -- David Greenberger
Review by Thom Jurek
This is a nice changeup. The Innocence Mission return with a benefit collection of cover songs that are all centered reverie akin to dreaming. Calling them all lullabies would be stretching a little bit, but the presentations are such that they might as well be. Don and Karen Peris and bassist Mike Bitts craft an absolutely beguiling collection of standards. The readings of "Over the Rainbow," "Wonderful World," and "Moon River" form a gorgeous sequence. The inclusion of an instrumental, Chopin's Prelude in A, is a choice moment as well (played beautifully by Don), and is followed by a haunting, nostalgic version of Michel Legrand's "Once Upon a Summertime." The one original on the set, Karen's "My Love Goes With You," is a lullaby proper and is perhaps the most beautiful and tender song on the outing. That it's followed by "Edelweiss" is only fitting. The title track is, appropriately, the set's closer. Peris' wispy vocal carries the fleeting traces of daylight into the mix, ushering in a time of silence and magic. This could have been merely a curiosity piece, a curious addition to a mysterious catalog by a singular group. Instead, it is nothing less than a wondrous little gem.
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