Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Make no mistake, this release from UK-based children's media and worship ministry Allstars Kids' Club is not your run of the mill kiddies' album. The main reason being is that it focuses in on the unpopular themes of bereavement and grief with the aim of helping little ones connect with their feelings in relation to the loss of a family member or friend. As you would expect, this is an understandably downbeat affair which contains a raw poignancy that is sometimes hard to bear with tracks like the opener "A Moment Away" and the devastating "The Games We Play" dealing with the loss of a loved one in heart-wrenching but totally unwavering fashion whilst gently offering up the hope that there will one day be a reunion in Heaven. Save for a fleeting cameo from a kids' choir, there is little here musically to suggest that this is a children's release and the folks at Allstars have chosen to apply a gentle acoustic guitar and strings approach which, whilst helping to create a placid mood, may or may not appeal to younger ears. In addition, the hard-hitting nature of these songs may make this more of a resource for adults helping children come to terms with death where they might choose to select a couple of songs to play to their youngsters as opposed to allowing them to be caught up in the melancholy of the full album. Near the end, more joyful tracks like "Hallelujah" and "I Will Remember" (the latter featuring Texan singer/songwriter Brandon Chase) give some relative light to proceedings on this brave, worthwhile and carefully-realised project.

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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