Scotland's renowned vibesman Howie B has stopped twiddling knobs to make others sound great to produce his own ambient debut, Music for Babies.
The album, the first release as part of a substantial deal with Polydor, is packaged with poetry, prose and an animated video.
Howie B says much of the material was fuelled by his emotional response to becoming a father. He now has a daughter, Chilli.
'The set is accompanied by a book of prose by writer Michael Benson,' Howie B said.
'The graphics have been drawn by Japanese producer Toshi and the cover on all formats comes from Icelandic artist Hubert Noi.' A short film by animator Ruk Warke is also part of the project.
Music for Babies, which took just 18 days in the studio, includes vocals from former singer with The Band, Robbie Robertson.
Howie B says his own 'unusual shouting' also pops up on the album, a collection of tracks where sounds float and drift through a faintly coloured mist. 'It is an ambient record but an innocent one . . . for the child,' he said.
