Sweet Honey in the Rock, the award-winning female African American ensemble, releases their first recording since Dr. Reagon's retirement and is the group's fourth CD for children. The CD's colorful packaging ­ an eyecatching digipack and a 16-page booklet in the style of a school composition notebook ­ contributes to the theme of learning through music. Children from the ages of 9 to 12 pose questions about the mysteries of the adult world in print, and the members of Sweet Honey (six vocalists at the time of this recording, now five, not counting their onstage sign language interpreter) respond with songs of about peaceful coexistence, the virtues of education, the nurturing support and reassurance of parents and elders, following one's moral and spiritual compass, and working to better the surrounding world. Emphasizing the group's roots in African culture, the songs are matched up in print to Adinkra symbols used in Ghana, West Africa, to indicate wisdom, strength, unity, good fortune, harmony and other emotions crucial to leading a meaningful life. The sound of Sweet Honey is almost intoxicating, as they deploy their voices in myriad combinations and styles ­ call-and-response, scatting, percolating percussive effects, waterfalls of harmonies and counterpoints, rounds, spoken rap-like segments, and just about every other pleasing way the human voice can be utilized.

Listen to In the Middle of the Night in RealAudio.