Reviewed by Phil Thomson

In an age when most compilations are sanctioned to breathe new life into back catalogue, here is an inspired 2CD set which has altogether higher aspirations. Arguably, the strap-line -The Ultimate Collection - may be risible given that the titles are exclusively Sparrow/Straightway and date from 1996. Nevertheless, with Twila Paris, Michael Card and Betsy Hernandez sharing most of the vocals, these songs are in a class of their own. I was expecting a tiresome run of saccharine ear-candy and forgettable schmaltz. Instead, we are kept fully engaged by the sheer inventiveness of the writing, the fresh arrangements of standards we think we know - "Jesus Loves Me", "The Infant King", "Lord You Have My Heart", "Be Still" - and the stark simplicity of child-like universal truths. It also takes a special kind of insight to include Old Testament renderings, yet executive producer Jay Coyle gets it absolutely right with the quite outstanding "May The Words Of My Mouth" sung by Janna Long and Christy Nockels, surely an absolute must for any adult "soaking" evening. And that's just the point. If this is soporific, it's meant to be. It is hard to separate out an ordinary track - yet all the innocence, trust and wonder of those precious baby years is, for me, perfectly summed up in Michael Card's "Sleep Sound In Jesus". For the child in us all.

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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