Women's music stalwart Cris Williamson comes up with a children's story, accompanied by music, on Lumière, billed as "a science-fantasy fable." In the story, X-Ray Ted, a little boy, discovers "an extraordinary world" inside his closet. Actually, he and his dog Sirius encounter an entire universe and travel extensively through space, meeting strange creatures. Periodically, his trip is interrupted for one of Williamson's melodic pop/rock ballads. Those songs are really what make the album worthwhile, since the story line doesn't have much to recommend it. Ted is alternately charmed and threatened by his vaguely described experiences until, predictably, he finds himself back in his own bed, and it all turns out to be a dream. The songs keep stopping the action cold, but they are far more appealing. It's hard to figure out exactly who the intended audience for this effort is, since its vocabulary, starting with the title, is too advanced for a small child, but the story is too simple to engage an older one. Maybe the music is meant to give grownups something to listen to, but it's likely that the real function of the album (not a bad one at that) may be to put both parents and children to sleep.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo