"Music as a tool will swoon and beguile" sings Kris Gruen, on "Tender Theory", the opening track from his debut record, Lullaby School, a fragile yet rich blend of intelligent and wistful pop due to be released through Mother West in early 2006. Kris is no stranger to the world of music. His father, the famed rock photographer Bob Gruen, http://www.bobgruen.com, has long been synonymous with immortalizing countless musical icons on film, but Kris has chosen to pursue a path more similar to the lives of those of his father’s subjects. Born and raised in New York City, Kris lives and performs in Central Vermont. He is currently a performing arts program designer for the Montpelier school district and teaches poetry and song-writing workshops in and around the Central Vermont area. His songs offer a fresh approach to American song writing sensibilities and focus on themes of relationship: personal, romantic, social and otherwise. From the outset, the deftly plucked banjo strings and soothing vocals on Lullaby School point to a tasteful array of Americana influences-- Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and Jeff Buckley to recall a few. However, Kris manages to make this collection distinctly his own. With tracks like "Truffles", "Further Down” and "Enchant Me" he moves us from moods that haunt, then embolden, then lament with somber fragility. For Lullaby School, Kris employs a bevy of rarified instrumentation (e.g. marxophone, sitar and melodica) without allowing the unique layering and complex arrangements to detract from what are delicately, intimate songs. Gruen’s essential offerings lie in his control of language and the vocal prowess with which he delivers it. Songs like the hypnotic and magical tale "For the Finding" illustrate his range, equally at ease singing falsetto or a coarse baritone.