Rounding out a fruitful 1998, Grammy Award winner Shawn Colvin will give birth to her first child in early August -- then defy Mother Nature and release a new album just two months later. |

The very pregnant Colvin recently completed a disc of apropos lullabies and traditional holiday songs slated for a mid-October release, according to a spokeswoman for the artist. A leap away from 1996's critically acclaimed A Few Small Repairs, this collection will feature none of the original songwriting that has earned Colvin and creative partner Jon Leventhal applause over the last 10 years. Composed of one-horse open sleighs and diamonds in the sky, this project sticks closely to its conventional roots, the spokeswoman said.

Inspiration for the still-untitled album came not from Colvin's unborn daughter, but rather from Sting, who recruited the 40-year-old songwriter to contribute a lullaby to his 1997 Rainforest Foundation compilation. Carnival! showcased artists such as Elton John, James Taylor and Tina Turner singing tunes from their childhood, and sparked Colvin's interest in the lullaby concept, her spokeswoman said.

Though Colvin worked with keyboardist/producer Doug Petty on the October release, she and Leventhal have already resumed their collaborative songwriting sessions for a collection of new material. With bits and pieces of songs scattered across the table now, Colvin hopes to complete the follow-up to A Few Small Repairs in time for a mid-1999 release. That disc won her Grammy awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for the hit single "Sunny Came Home."

During her pregnancy "break," the relentless Colvin contributed a track to the chart-topping Armaggedon soundtrack, and recorded a duet with Lyle Lovett for a Dreamworks Records tribute album to the "King of Western Swing," country western crooner Bob Wills. In addition, Colvin's spokeswoman said she plans to tour the United States next January, well before her album of original material debuts, and just five months after the birth of her daughter.

"She's always toured so much -- even between albums," she said. "That's how she built her fan base." (Anni Layne)