Sailing to Dreamland - 20th Anniversary

Sailing to Dreamland Album - Copyright (c) 2001

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this album, which I produced with the help of my friend and fellow musician, Scott Townsend, I've now created 12 Youtube videos, to go with each of the 12 songs. (See links below). These videos contain the lyrics that go with each song.

These 12 songs are my own compositions and/or arrangements. Four of them are traditional melodies (e.g. "Pretty Horses") that I arranged. The other 8 are my own original compositions. The vocals, piano, flute, synthesized strings and percussion were performed by me. Some backing vocals and the mbira were performed by Scott Townsend. It was recorded, mixed and mastered by Scott Townsend, in his home studio in Chicago, Illinois.

They are intended as “lullabies for the soul”, calming songs for anyone of any age to relax to, to sing along with, to feel uplifted and soothed. Some of the words come from traditional lullabies, some come from folk songs or poems. 

Many of the texts have water imagery such as seas, waves, boats, raindrops, etc. The music often reflects the sound of water: the rising and falling of waves, the fall of rain, the storms and the sunshine that create different colors and moods. Water can be healing, it can also be invigorating, it can also represent a journey, from stress to relaxation, from mundanity to adventure, from pain to hope. 

I chose a variety of poems and texts from around the world. For example, there's a "Japanese lullaby", a "Portuguese Lullaby", a "Polish Lullaby", etc. To create accurate pastiches of these different styles, I researched into each country's traditional music, and tried to emulate their styles as closely as possible, while still maintaining my originality. For example, to create a "Japanese" style, I used the pentatonic scale in the patterns typical of Japanese folk music. And, to create a "Portuguese" style, I used the rhythms and melodic patterns typical of traditional "Fado" - Portuguese style folk music. 

Therefore, my musical settings and performances are intended to take the listener on a journey of discovery and delight. They are also intended to be of physical, mental and emotional comfort – a form of musical therapy, whilst at the same time, being enjoyable, memorable and singable for generations to come.

All of these songs are now available on Youtube. (Click on the song titles).

1.“Eriskay Love Lilt” (To the White and Shining Sea)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from Celtic Love Lilt

2.“Skye Boat Song”
music arranged by Toria Burrell
words and melody from Scottish folk song

3.“Sail Baby Sail”
music written by Toria Burrell
words from traditional lullaby

4. “The Seal's Lullaby” (The Slow Swinging Seas)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from “White Seal”, Poem by Rudyard Kipling

5. “Japanese Lullaby” (Soft Dew Falling)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from Japanese Lullaby

6.“Pretty Horses”
music arranged by Toria Burrell
words and melody from Traditional lullaby

7.“Portuguese Lullaby” (Let the Little Boy Sleep)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from Portuguese Lullaby

8.“Armenian Lullaby” (The Bright Moon)
music arranged by Toria Burrell
words and melody from Armenian lullaby

9.“Zulu Cradle song” (O’er the Mountains)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from Zulu cradle song

10.“Raindrops”
music arranged by Toria Burrell
words and melody from Traditional lullaby

11.“Tristan’s Lullaby”
music written by Toria Burrell
words written by Toria Burrell

12.“Polish Lullaby” (My Little Pearl)
music written by Toria Burrell
words from Polish lullaby

You can also click on this link here, which takes you to the playlist I created on Youtube, which has all 12 songs in one place:
Sailing to Dreamland Album Playlist

All music was written and arranged by Toria Burrell, with some backing vocals written by Scott Townsend.

“Skye Boat Song”, “Pretty Horses”, “The Bright Moon” and “Raindrops” are arrangements of traditional melodies.

All the rest are original melodies by Toria Burrell.

Lullabies, poems and folk songs researched and collected by Toria Burrell.

Solo vocals by Toria Burrell.

Backing vocals by Scott Townsend and Toria Burrell.

Piano, flute and other keyboard instruments played by Toria Burrell.

Produced by Toria Burrell and Scott Townsend.

Recorded and engineered by Scott Townsend in December 2001, in Chicago Illinois, USA.