Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

Birmingham's Jo and Steve Squires run BIG Ministries which, in case you haven't noticed, have become one of THE children's works currently impacting church-connected children by the thousands. This CD is part of a package - there's an accompanying book and DVD as well as online resources the aim of which is to provide music that will appeal to and draw in worshippers of all ages. On 'The All-In-Thing' this objective is pretty well achieved. There are happy clappy songs for the youngsters that parents will willingly join in with, as well as more reflective songs that should appeal primarily to the adults but also perhaps teach the older youngsters about the value of calm. Production by Paul Burton is excellent and at all times the words are clear, never competing with the engaging accompaniments. The variety of styles is most welcome. I love the rocked up version of "Whole World In His Hands" - it's cheerful enough already but maybe it's useful to freshen it up like this. Also up-tempo, but contrasting because of its Latin rhythms is the mini-medley "Your Love Is Amazing/Hallelujah". On the reflective front "Walk With You" is a beautiful piano-driven ballad, a prayer of confidence and intercession, while Pete James' "Talk To Jesus" is quietly inspiring - "When your world is filled with colour/Brighter than a supernova shines/Talk to Jesus". On the lyric sheet each song is introduced with ideas on how to present it, whether with actions, signs or visual imagery, and frequently we are directed to the matching DVD or online resource bank. An impressive resource.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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