Music for babies ... that doesn't suck

I can tell that we are gonna be friends.

Rockabye Baby has cute album covers, such as this for Nirvana

But there's one small record label that is still thriving in the digital world. And it's doing so by satisfying a pretty important need for anyone with kids ... making baby music that's actually worth listening to.

Buy some now -- http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/

Rockabye Baby takes songs from popular artists -- ranging from classic rock gods Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones to hip hop stars Eminem and Jay Z -- and turns them into soothing instrumental tracks for infants.

Space Oddity - Lullaby Renditions of David Bowie - Rockabye Baby!

According to Lisa Roth, creative director for the brand's parent company CMH Label Group, Rockabye Baby has actually sold more albums (1.6 million) than individual tracks (1.3 million downloaded) since it was founded in 2006.

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"The packaging is a big part of the fun," she said. "CDs still sell well because it's fun to hand people a package as a gift."

So when a PR person pitched a meeting with Roth, I jumped at the chance to meet her even though I don't tend to write too often about private companies.

But I won't lie. The fact that she also happens to be the sister of on-again/off-again Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth (he's currently back with the band) sealed the deal.

Lisa Roth helped create Rockabye Baby -- lullabies of hit songs ... including some by brother David Lee Roth of Van Halen.

Lisa Roth said the idea for the series came to her and her former CMH colleague Valerie Aiello when trying to find baby shower gifts for friends.

She found that most of the music was stuff like Barney the annoying purple dinosaur and Raffi, who was parodied in an episode of "The Simpsons" as Roofi.

"I was underwhelmed by the baby music out there," said Roth, who does not have kids. "There was nothing adult friendly."

And the cradle will rock. It took about a year to get the first three albums -- ones for Metallica, Radiohead and Coldplay -- ready. Roth said she and Aiello were looking for the "perfect balance of clunk, tinkle and attitude." There are now more than 50 albums in the series.

Roth said the artists all get paid standard royalty rates for their work and that none have complained about xylophones replacing electric guitars for the the lullaby treatment. Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler even wrote the liner notes for his band's Rockabye Baby album.

As a grandparent , I hope the label continues to do well. It may just be the aging Gen X-er in me worried about being forgotten in the sea of millennials and boomers. But I want kids to at least know about (if not necessarily like) the music we grew up with. Based on the sales of these albums, other parents of our generation must obviously agree.

But "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses is not the smartest thing to be playing to a hungry, crying baby in the middle of the night. The Rockabye version though? That's a different story. Take me down ...