Bedtime With the Beatles, Pt. 2

An odd one-off, Jason Falkner's first Bedtime with the Beatles album from 2001 had an uncertain genesis — it somehow appeared on Sony despite Falkner's lack of commercial fortune — and could never have been expected to produce a successor. But with the blessing of Paul McCartney himself (which Falkner describes in the liner notes), Bedtime with the Beatles, Pt. 2 followed its predecessor into the commercial realm in 2008. The first succeeded in part because the songs are among the best pop written in the last half of the 20th century, but also because of Falkner's often underappreciated production skills (his solo albums are polished gems). This second volume shouldn't surprise anyone who heard the first, and on a cursory listen, it wouldn't stand out any more than the handful of good easy listening Beatles tributes out there, but close attention gives much greater rewards; acoustic guitar and piano set a contemplative mood, while the background is filled with all manner of keyboards and synth (including settings for most of the Mellotron-like instruments the Beatles used originally). Falkner is nearly as inventive with his use of the sound palette as on his solo albums, but usually makes a few sacrifices to ensure this music is more about bedtime than burnishing his street cred. Each track features a primary instrument very slowly and carefully stating the theme, as though it were a translation expert wanting to make sure you understood every word. Except for the occasionally gauzy synthesizer setting — including some sounds that would never show up on one of his albums — Bedtime with the Beatles, Pt. 2 is a record both children and adults could enjoy.