Reviewed by Elizabeth Cook

'Solid Rock Cafe' is an inspirational CD for young children, to help them remember encouraging verses from the Bible. Released by Integrity Music, the concept for the CD was created by Pam Andrews and arranged by John DeVries. Pam explains, "In recent days, I have noticed the many trials children seem to be facing - a home life that can be plagued with divorce or other trying situations, pressures at school to belong and fit in, bullies that can make life fearful and the fact that there is evil in this world that can harm them. But in the midst of evil, I am confident that there is hope in Jesus Christ." Set in the 'Solid Rock Cafe', the album focuses on a group of students travelling to a music festival. The students arrive at the cafe with several problems, including a lead singer with a sore throat, a drummer without his drums, and a broken down van. The staff at the 'Solid Rock Cafe' help to renew the bands' spirits with a few "recipes" from Chef Bubba's book. The album contains scenes and songs which speak of God's constant presence and help in our lives. It clearly and soundly explains God's message, however the actor's voices and the content of the CD means it has a limited audience of children most likely to be within the age group of 6-9 years old. I'm not sure either that it's the kind of album you would sit down and listen regularly to on your own, simply because the songs are split by lengthy sections of talking. 'Solid Rock Cafe' is a great up-beat teaching aid and should be made into a CD/DVD, so that pictures accompany the words and songs. This I feel would make it more versatile to use in situations such as children's slots on a Sunday morning, which would be the ideal use of this project.

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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