The creative mystery of writing songs
Linda Baumheckel is the co-producer for Lullabies & Little Ditties and shares behind-the-scenes tales of the making of album. Baumheckel is the Director of Music for the First Methodist Church in San Angelo, Texas.
“When describing my cousin Robb to a colleague, I have said that he is fearlessly creative. Lullabies & Little Ditties is a body of fearless work which holds love for family at it’s core. Robb’s love of his children brings to life amazing and engaging musical and lyrical observations; Not to mention, many genres of musical styles.
For my part on this album, I personally loved Robb’s gift of encouragement and his gift to facilitate collaboration and artistic freedom. It was a joy to work creatively with my family. I’ve always been in awe of how God has graciously poured inspiration into Robb and how he expresses his talents in so many mediums - photography, design and writing to name a few of his other artistic pursuits.
I’m honored to celebrate a genetic, musical and heart-felt connection to this project and to Robb, Mary, Kellis and McKayla Skye.
So get ready folks. This album is one big hug-of-love!”
— Linda Baumheckel, May 2002
Songwriting and production notes
By Linda Baumheckel
“One”
Imagine this scene: Groups of cousins scattered round the studio/living room in work groups or “pods.”
My cousin, Jon, and his wife, Jamie, wrangling lyric pieces and ideas on the couch; Robb’s dog lying obediently on the decorative carpet by the drum set under the spell of her ongoing cue to be in the quiet “recording mode (She was astonishing in that regard!); Myself hammering away keyboard chorus ideas, fine tuning melodic pieces, transitions, keys changes and that “Broadway thing.” Then suddenly there would be this great “exchange” of papers and words across the room, or the duo cousin pod would come over to see how things might lay into the keyboard. Or I would grab cousin Robb to join me and pour over the other pod’s dynamic word play.
If the pod people lifted their heads they would see Robb sitting like a proud papa observing this mass of worker bees on behalf of his fresh starting point of “One.” Or Robb would move quietly from pod to pod with a cheshire cat smile. When the team believed ecstatically that we had arrived at the end product, Robb mischievously stated that the song was nice but perhaps a little too neatly stitched together. “A kid’s life is about experimenting,” he said.
In other words, we needed a “Montgomery Moment.”
My having lead a sheltered life in this regard, I had no idea what he was talking about. However, Robb and Jon had been here before in their own songwriting experiences so they took me along. Robb asked us to think how children might react to the ages of adults. This shook us up creatively and spit us out into this zany place of thinking ‘inside out.’ This spark set the pods afire and we were off to our corners again. That diversion yielded “One’s” crazy dramatic break and the MGM-style chorus mid-song, before the tune starts counting backwards.
At the session’s end I had an unquestionable understanding of what a “Montgomery Moment” could be. My cousins were marvelous! Jon’s monologue writing and delivery were brilliant. Jon and Jamie’s vocal renditions were so animated and fun. All our choral ‘ahh’s’ were improvised on the spot. In one take, Jamie, Robb’s and my eyes popped wide as we could not believe the flawless harmonies that came from an unwritten score within us. I was so thrilled to be part of that magical, “Montgomery Moment.” The yield was spontaneous, hilarious and inspired!
Jon comes through with ‘dose of the absurd’
See the handwritten drafts for” One.”
“Enchanted Lullaby
My oh my. Robb and I struck something rich in this pure collaboration of lyricist and songwriter! It was an inspired gift to us.
We were early into our four-day writing and producing marathon. Robb had this tender, unencumbered set of lyrics and no designated melody. Within moments of my eyes reading the first lines, my fingers reached for the keyboard and out came this melodic flow. I believe the base song was complete within 30 minutes. Then we ventured into the arranging aspects.
For you the listener, the music’s color, tone and texture can bring your experience to poignant places. That’s where arranging takes wing. And this arrangement process became a mutual journey as we filled in the palette of enchantment and assurances for a baby. e.g. The humming near the end.
There were times I would look over at a silent Robb, and after he engineered my vocal recording his tears just quietly flowed. There were moments when I completed the core song, or just layered strings and duet vocals, and I too found myself overwhelmed. With gentle pats on one another’s shoulders, or a knowing hug, we’d move through those moments with such awe and gratefulness. This lullaby was such a confirmation of our destiny as a creative team and the mystery of collaboration.
See the handwritten draft for” Lullaby.”
“My World”
Robb’s songs began life as guitar demos he had recorded at home (They were so good!) Robb wrote this song while he was on vacation in Walt Disney World. He imagined how strange and wonderful this new “world” would probably appear to his one-year-old child and began writing verses.
I started thinking about arranging this tune around his guitar parts, but Robb was hearing different instruments. Robb wanted an emotional ‘build-up’ or ‘arc’ to the composotion similar to the way a theme song in a motion picture soundtrack tells a story within a story. This was a big departure for us both vocally and instrumentally.
That was a cool, “stop the presses” moment for me. Especially as the tune didn’t come across to me as that kind of tune. I had to really step back and go to higher ground in my imagination and then let all kinds of new possibilities drop in. I really wanted to fulfill Robb’s vision for this song.
After some tweaks of the melody line and related recommended revisions, the tune started to expand. It kept ‘going’ and expanded even more into the film theme genre.
In this session I recall hitting some roadblocks in drafting the arrangement. This song changes keys several times and after a few hours of work, the musical accompaniments started getting backed-up and merging in my head. Key change interludes that were flowing before suddenly would not find their way to my fingers. I thought I could lose my religion at any moment. Then Robb’s encouragement, or his proposals of how to think something through would come to my aide. He could see I was hitting ‘The Wall’ - like runners do in a marthon and he believed in my ability to solve the problem.
This was one tune that Robb saw the more burgeoning creative persona in me as this arrangement really stretched me as a composer. For myself, I saw his song transform into something I was not even sure existed. Talk about the mystery of creativity!
See the handwritten drafts for “My World.”
Vocal coaching
I wanted to say how much I enjoyed working as Robb’s voice coach. That was an exciting shift in our creative exchanges. Robb wanted to sing his best on these songs and he asked me to share some of my vocal training tips with him. Voice coaching is part of my regular job as a church music director and it was a pleasure to share my expertise with him.
Robb’s voice garners a very natural presence. Without pretense, he has a style that evokes an intimacy with his listener in timbre and inflection. You feel like you are in the room with him when he’s singing one-on-one to his children. He has more power vocally, but saves it for the most appropriate, savory moments.
Cousins share a musical bond
Throughout our remaining creative days together, Robb and I continued to be awe of the 30-something years it took for us to get together in this manner. I was personally touched by Robb’s insistence that we have this musical retreat to work on his album. He had a greater vision and persistence than I did going in. “Enchanted Lullabye” was such a musical marker for us in our time together. This song confirmed there was an undeniable divine genetic code in each of us and that we were an amazing musical fit. I had my doubts going in - I’ve spent 40 years working professionally in sacred music and theater productions that are completely different from Robb’s rhythmic guitar-based ditties. Perhaps coming together from different musical universes is what made collaborating on these songs so enjoyable - Robb and I were both experiencing something new.
I’ve a debt of gratitude for Robb’s persistence and for making the overall collaborative endeavor possible. I want to thank his precious spouse, Mary, and her willingness to give him wings and her blessing in his life as mate and mother of their children.
What a woman and one of creative ingenuity and fortitude as well!
I never imagined that when Robb was my toddler cousin, and I his favorite pre-teen babysitter that we would ever collaborate like this as adults. Even with many decades between, that early bond somehow foreshadowed a creative destiny to support one another’s dreams, creations and legacies. Now that’s what “Lullabies & Lilttle Ditties” has become for me.
