Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A couple of firsts for this one, the first children's album ever to get a ten square rating in Cross Rhythms and the first Christian children's album ever to receive mainstream radio play (via Chris Cole) in the UK. So why? Essentially, because far from being some patronising exercise in talking down to the kids (so often the case when US CCM artists try a children's album -witness the grizzly Sandi Patti children's item), Carman uses all the production resources, Division One production and session 'guests' (Cindy Morgan, Howard Smith and Phil Madeira), intuitive development of song hooks and slamming dance rhythms, plus a musical approach which doesn't attempt to encase songs for children and early teens in some kind of saccharine sweet unreality based on long gone Sunday School nostalgia. Instead our man sings and raps the Old Old Story in the language of the streets. Those streets are American ones of course. One imagines parents and Sunday School teachers frowning as their kiddywinkers learn the latest progressions from "chill out man" in Carman's artful use of urban street talk. But that's the language of a dozen international cartoon heroes anyway and better our kids learn the knife edge relevance of biblical Christianity than plummy voiced platitudes which take the enamel off teeth but leave spirits untouched. The dramatised story linking the raps and ballads could have been corny in other hands (a cat, literally, caught hustling Carman's car is introduced to Christ as our streetwise Bible teacher points to various Old Testament heroes) but Carman's flare for drama and ear for dialogue never wavers. At last Cross Rhythms can honestly use that children's album reviewer's cliche - recommended to children of any age.

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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