Reviewed by Paul Kent

'Get Into The Word' arrives in colourful cartoon-like packaging. The artwork is of very high quality and sets the standard for the rest of this well put together package. The double CD features CD one holding 20 tracks, 10 of which are vocal tracks, the rest being instrumentals meant for churches, groups and individuals to sing/bop and rock out to on their own. CD two can be accessed through your PC and is filled with a content-rich interactive experience that is useful for adults and lots of fun for kids. The second CD is subdivided into an adults section (jokingly labelled 'Boring'), which holds MP3 versions of each track (an excellent inclusion might I add!), OHP, chord charts and lyrics, and a children's section which includes a brief explanation of the Bible's categories (books of prophecy, etc), some cool tips on how young people could tackle reading the Word, a Bible quiz and to help with all that they throw in a Bible.. yup. A html (webpage) version of the Bible. Nice! The multimedia element is slick, colourful and child friendly. The advice given is well thought out and the resources available are practical and usable. But what of the music? Was yet another "children's ministry" CD ruined by the crooning of a choir of pre-pubescents? Well, pleasantly the children's choir on this occasion have done a fantastic job. With excellent musicianship throughout the CD and brilliant production giving the well arranged songs that edgy and grooving sound it works well to give life to these simple and Bible-based lyrics. The sense of relationship between Mike Burn (the major songwriter for this project) and the "little people" is developed well and somehow avoids that horrible naffness that is such a danger on this kind of production. The songs can get a little repetitive, but as any children's worker will know, that's only a positive. On this occasion the fact that the songs are so darn funky means you don't (and probably couldn't) get bored. This is an excellent piece of work and all credit should be given to the guys involved, namely the people from www.familyworship.org.uk and ICC. Something for the kids and the young of heart!

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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