Reviewed by Simon Carpenter

Dave Cooke is a vastly experienced and gifted musician and I was therefore not surprised to find that this, his first children's album, is superb. I had heard of Dave Cooke (Sir Cliff and all that). My nine year old son, James Carpenter (he wanted me to put his name in full) had not. Yet on playing him one track of "Rocky Kids" he was hooked and I had trouble keeping his hands off the CD to do this review! As with all children, James particularly likes catchy tunes, loud music and lively words. And there is plenty of all those here. But the album is also cleverly broken up with other items, some humorous, some just wacky. There are 14 songs in total, all written or arranged by Dave himself, but his old friends Paul Field and Judy MacKenzie-Dunn also get a look in. James' favourites are "1234", "Joy, Joy" (a great arrangement of an old favourite with the first line of "I'm feeling moody, sad and grumpy.") and "Inside Outside". But they are all good. If you've got a nine or 10 year old on your house, buy this album today, it will entertain, edify and bless him all at the same time!

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.