These three CDs have eye-catching designs but it’s the tracks that matter. Six out of 12 tracks on Get up and dance are songs from 2014. Great big God 5 features 19 tracks, mostly 2014 songs, although to find that out you have to look online. This did mean I discovered you can also download lyrics and chords via the Vineyards Records website, which is a great benefit if you want to use them in group settings. Unfortunately the others miss out in this area. None of the albums include backing tracks, which would have been a useful addition.
So much fun is a compilation of 20 tracks from other albums which is disappointing if you already own a number of them, though it does feature one new 2014 song and a solid range of songwriters. The back of the album tells you that the songs were written and compiled to help you and your children discover the Bible together, although it neglects to mention that they’re from other albums. It is however the only one to give CCL numbers, which may be beneficial if you are using it in a children’s work setting.
Get up and dance is identified as being for pre-schoolers which may stop some people looking any further; don’t fall into that trap. There are some classic pre-school songs, including ‘What noise shall we make’. ‘I am walking’ has strong repetition and could become another classic. A number of songs would work well with other ages: ‘Trust and obey’ would work in an all-age, or even adult setting. There are a few errors in the lyrics sheet which is frustrating, including in ‘The thank you song’ with laughing being used instead of hopping in one place, and ‘Jesus and me’ has a missing ‘He’s with me’ in the first verse. None of the albums give you the complete lyrics as sung, which means there is work to do to in order to make the words work in a children’s work setting.
No target age is given for Great big God 5, although the launch party was targeted at four to eleven year-olds. It was a great ‘pick you up’ after a heavy day and could make a good car album. There are, however, a couple of language issues to be aware of. ‘God living inside us’ crops up several times; it is worth being aware of and thinking about how you will explain it in a way that children can understand. ‘Love like you’ is a lovely song based on 1 Corinthians 13:4 although there were a couple of lines that made me think I would be careful with it. This means thinking about the context you might use songs in: it can be easy to forget that songs can be powerful and have an impact on people, depending on their life experiences.
With all songs it is worth checking to see whether there are any conversations or teaching that would be beneficial, things you would want known or to be aware of before using them. ‘Superglue’ on So much fun could be a great song for reminding congregations and groups that even if we have our differences we are still the family of God, although the use of ages 0 to 95 seems a little short-sighted! ‘God can do anything’ ends with ‘Let’s see you beat that clever pants’ which is unnecessary and doesn’t feature in the rest of lyrics.
Each of the albums features a range of styles, a good selection of songs and includes children singing on some tracks, which adds something to them. As with any music, people will have their preferences. ‘The vegetable song’ on So much fun just seems to be anti-sprouts and I can’t think of when I would use it. Some talented musicians feature on all three albums, you can’t help but smile at the bend and stretch sound in ‘God made my hands’ on Get up and dance. All three albums have something to offer for both home and children’s work setting.
