Listen To Fiona Apple’s Touching New Lullaby

Fiona Apple is one of a handful of female musicians featured on a new collaborative LP Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project. It's, as the title suggests, an album full of lullabies. These aren't just any lullabies, though, they're original pieces of work written by pregnant women and performed by artists like Apple.

For her contribution, Apple sings "I Can't Wait To Meet You." An expecting mother named Solangie Jimenez penned the song, and reads a bit of her letter to her unborn child before Apple comes in. Composer Thomas Cabaniss wrote the music. It's a stunning, tender song that finds Apple optimistic, wishing a life filled with dreams and uninterrupted imagination. It transcends the traditional lullaby by forgoing any sort of child-like pandering. Instead, Apple and Cabaniss imbue a jazz sensibility to Jimenez's words that elevate "I Can't Wait To Meet You" to new, more universal ideals. Play this for a future lover, friend, or, yes, a baby. Listen, below.

In addition to Apple, Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project features artists like Natalie Merchant and Rosanne Cash.