Dylan loves music. LOVES. As soon as she hears any kind of beat, she drops whatever she’s doing to dance. And then once the song ends, she looks at me with her big, gorgeous brown eyes and asks, “again?”. And I, of course, rewind the song once or twice or seventeen times, because she always asks so sweetly, and because oh my god, she is heartbreakingly cute when she dances.

She doesn’t seem to have a favorite song or type of music, and we don’t really censor or monitor the kind of music we listen to around her. I mean, we’re typically rock/some pop people, so unless the song is laden with curse words, it’s fair game. But, I’ve noticed that certain kinds of music elicit different reactions and behaviors. For example, I’ve learned not to play LMFAO or Lady Gaga right before bedtime, lest I want to spend an hour peeling her off the ceiling. Sometimes, you just need something mellow. And I’m sorry, but kids music? Blows. Hard. I’d rather listen to myself singing than listen to that crap over and over again, and I sound just awful.

So when my dear friend Tracy Bartelle told me she had an album she wanted to share with me, of soothing (but gorgeous) music she composed herself, I was so excited. And oh my god, you guys. It is so beautiful. So. Beautiful. “The Secret Life of Trees” is one of those albums that you want to be listening to when you’re soaking in a hot bath, or unwinding with a glass of wine, or twisting yourself into a pretzel doing yoga. It’s so relaxing. I play it during parts of the day when I need the girl to mellow out a bit, and just hang out reading books or lounging around or whatever. And, it doesn’t put mom to sleep. Bonus.

I’ve known Tracy for a couple of years. We met while we were both slaves to the man at Bloomingdales, and she is just about the sweetest thing alive. She is originally from Australia, and sounds just like Olivia Newton John, which is reason enough to love her. She’s a very, very talented musician, and has composed and produced soundtracks for several television shows and movies. “The Secret Life of Trees” is her latest solo venture, and it is so lovely. I’ve been listening to the flow version of the album, so it’s continuous with no breaks between songs, which is also a plus when you’ve got a toddler with the attention span of a bean. Both versions are available on iTunes and can be found here, or on Amazon here. Trust me, you’ll love it. We do. Dylan even has a special dance for it, wherein she closes her eyes and sways in place. Come on, now you have to get it. Don’t you want to see if it makes your kid do the same?

Full disclosure: Tracy offered to send me a copy of her album because she knew Dylan would probably enjoy it. I offered to write a review here after listening to it. I didn’t receive any compensation, other than the album. I did it because I loved it, and Tracy is pure light./em>