Reviewed by Stella Redburn

Nigel Hemming wrote the original hugely popular "Great Big God" song and the albums emanating from that spanned 14 years. Vineyard's approach to children's ministry is that the songs must be strong enough to interest both children and adults, and they believe that ministry by children is viable and valid. There are 19 tracks here and each one contains a strong message. The upbeat numbers are huge fun; "Alive" kicks off the album with a vengeance with a strong Latin sound with the enthusiastic 100-strong kids' choir well to the fore. "Jet Pack" is a rock number with heavy duty bass and drums and punchy little instrumental breaks. It's easy to join in with such infectious energy. "God On My Side" is another rocker, featuring showy lead guitar solos, "Real Amazing Grace" is classic pop fun (after a somewhat embarrassing intro) and "Going On A Journey" is a nod in the direction of country. Several tracks feature children making a good job of writing and leading songs, eg, "Beautiful Day", "Rap" and "You've Made Me Clean Again", which has a message of reconciliation. The pitch is to primary age children with the stated aim "to help kids of all ages and backgrounds connect with God." This album should do just that.

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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