Children's Music

This is quite possibly the best Christian Children's CD in the world! It's amazing. I don't think that I'm exaggerating much. It really is fantastic. There's only one song on here which I don't like, which is the rap, it makes me cringe. The rest of the tracks are great. The lyrics are biblical, the tunes are lively, they're for kids, but adults don't hate them, so they can be sung in normal worship. At my church we've sung "Great Big God" and "No Other God" and most people have really enjoyed them. A second CD is inlcuded which has backing tracks, acetate masters, guitar lead sheers and melody line.

***** (5/5)

1. Great Big God
2. I'm Gonna Run
3. God You're Good to me
4. I have Come to You
5. I'm Gonna Clap My Hands
6. Your love lasts for ever
7. Sometimes I feel afraid
8. You call me to be Yours
9. Child of grace
10. Now listen to me (The Rap)
11. No Other God
12. Come on and Dance
13. Man looks on the outside
14. Father God
15. Fill me up Lord
16. Jesus Come
17. I give Thanks

To be honest I don't find this album particularly special. A lot of the tracks are quite slow. The reports between the songs aren't very funny, although possibly they are to a child. The music is quite good, it might just be the singing that lets it down, but the songs don't seem particularly catchy. I do like the new verses (well I think they're funny, I don't like the song) to Joy Joy Joy down in my heart (I'm moody sad and very grumpy, I'm in a mood), check the soundbite to hear the start, although to be honest the only place I've ever heard the chorus before is on the Simpsons sung by the Flanders kids. I think that the problem is that like kidsource (see further down the page) it is sung at a pitch that a child sings, presumably the theory is that it's easier for a child to sing along with, however it doesn't sound good, and kids tend to sing at whatever pitch they like it doesn't really matter if how low the CD is. However having said that, it's not only the pitch which lets it down, the lyrics aren't always that good either.

There is a good point about the CD, the bible in one song may allow you to learn the order of the books in the bible so you can find them quickly in church services, no more fumbling about for ages. The theme tune is quite catchy, but the other songs aren't lively enough for me, of course for all I know kids could love them, but I found them a little patronising and annoying really. One really annoying thing about this CD is that the track numbers on the back aren't correct as there are tracks in between with spoken things. So to skip to the track you want you have to check how many reports are in between (or do what I do and listen to it using your computer having edited your playlist to show you the names of the tracks).

*(1/5)

1. Rocky Kids
2. 1 2 3 4
3. Report
4. Joy Joy Joy
5. Fly like an eagle
6. Report
7. Tongue Song
8. Report - Grenville Smalltrouser
9. We've got Jesus
10. Captain of my Soul
11. Album breakdown
12. Bible in one song
13. Report - Rocky phone in
14. Inside Outside
15. Report - Grenville Smalltrouser
16. Jesus Loves me
17. Rocky magic marvel
18. I've got a reason to celebrate
19. Jesus and his friends
20. Report- Animal factfile
21. Shaping up
22. Report- Exploding Noglip
23. All works together
24. Rocky Kids

This is a great CD for kids and adults, there is an amazing combination of loud lively songs and slower, thoughtful ones. "As for me and my house" should get everyone on their feet dancing. "Colours of salvation" is a very powerful song, at a conference on children's work and again at my own church I was fortunate enough to see the flag dance that Jim does to accompany this song, and it was incredibly moving. This CD has something for everyone, "Jesus" is sung to the tune of "Venus" with some of the words changed. I do not have any other Jim Bailey albums, so have not reviewed any others, however he has also done "do ya wanna be in God's Gang?" to "my gang" by Gary Glitter, which kids love (well we love it, we think the kids do).

****(4/5)

1. Jesus
2. Children of the cross
3. Take my word for it
4. Enable Your servants
5. Colours of salvation
6. Out of the mouths
7. The stationery song
8. Two are better than one
9. The last word
10. As for me and my house
11. Baby in heaven
12. all of your tomorrows

Well you may think you haven't heard of "Duggie Dug Dug" as he's known, however you'll recognise at least one, most likely two of these songs. Don't be confused who's in the house is not the song World Wide message tribe sings, unfortunately it's not as good, but don't just listen to the first couple of tracks and give up on the CD, they're not the best tracks, as you get deeper into the CD you'll find some great tracks. Hands, Hands, fingers, thumbs is one of my favourite action songs, kids love it, although sometimes the littlest ones find it difficult to get fingers and thumbs co-ordinated. I've got a wobbly tooth is a completely unspiritual song, it is exactly what it appears to be, a song about a wobbly tooth, just enjoy it for what it is, if you can't cope with that and won't listen to anything that isn't deeply spiritual you can always try to work some hidden meaning into it if it makes you happy, if you are one of those people then I wouldn't advise you to try "horrible songs for wonderful kids" by Doug Horley as "I've got a wobbly tooth" is the most spiritual of all these songs, it includes a song about a bogey and one called "I'm suffering with my wind" - I'll leave it to your imagination. I think it's great!

****(4/5)

1. Who's in the house?
2. This is the house of God
3. I'm gonna build my house on solid rock
4. Let's make God happy
5. Come to the father
6. Hands, Hands, fingers, thumbs
7. Lift his name high
8. I want to be out of depth in Your love
9. We want to see Jesus lifted high
10. Hold on to the promises of God
11. I've got a wobbly tooth
12. You're a child of God
13. There is a God
14. God is for You
15. Worship adventure
16. Let's bring a little heaven to earth.

This CD has some great songs for listening to as well as a few more active ones. Oi, Oi is a great action song for kids (although when we sing it we sing Oh Yeah, cos that sounds better).

***(3/5)

1. Have we made our God too small?
2. We are warriors
3. Oi Oi, we are gonna praise the Lord
4. Do not worry
5. Not living for my gain
6. Let Your fire fall
7. King of heaven
8. Come out of darkness
9. Lord come shake this house
10. Hark the herald angels sing
11. I would be lost without You
12. Like the river needs the rain
13. Take it out

This is an awful CD. I bought it because it has some excellent songs on it, but these recordings are terrible. The music is dire, the voices are really high, there is no way you can play this for people to listen to. I had thought it would be good recordings of the songs, not what sounds like simply a keyboard making odd noises playing along to a woman and a few kids. I am being incredibly harsh, but it really is bad, and the songs themselves are so good you would think they would have just got recordings from the people who wrote it. I have been unable to find any redeeming features of this CD. It is only my opinion, but I just felt it was one of those albums that makes you cringe. If I didn't already know the songs and had to make an opinion based on this CD I'd think they were really bad. They don't use decent instruments, some aren't played fast enough, and they are all too high, I know kids sing high, but for a CD it just doesn't work.

(0/5)

1. Lord I lift Your name on high
2. I reach up high
3. He is the Lord
4. Sandy Land
5. On my tiptoes
6. Oi, Oi
7. It takes an Almighty Hand
8. I've got a friend
9. God is Good
10. Cast Your burdens
11. The Happy Song
12. I may live in a great big city
13. Now I belong to Jesus
14. Jesus is special
15. Celebrate Jesus Celebrate
16. I'm Your child
17. Sija Humba (we are marching)
18. The Stationery song
19. Speak Lord
20. Amazing Grace