Why is it that most children’s albums on the market today are lacking in quality, originality, and decent lyrics?  I mean, really, what parent with any musical taste wants to listen to kids who can’t hit the notes, lyrics that make you scratch your head, and run-of-the-mill plots and arrangements that remind us of the originality of Nancy Drew or the Hardee Boys?

 

Thankfully, there are some quality, original children’s music out there – you just have to look for it.  Here are some we’ve discovered over the years.  It’s by no means an exclusive list, just things we’ve found and enjoyed.

Hide ‘em in Your Heart (with Steve Green).

Not only is the musical quality excellent, but the songs teach Bible verses.  Often, they’re the normal things kids learn, but a few outliers (especially on the worship album) is refreshing.  One of our favorites was/is “Hide ‘em in Your Heart Praise & Worship for Kids”, which uses worshipful verses.  I have to wonder if my dad listened to that one more than the kids did!

 

Star rating:

Lyrics: [rating:5]

Arrangements: [rating:4]

Originality: [rating:4]

Anointing / Carrying the Spirit: [rating:3]

Singability: [rating:5]

Kid enjoyment: [rating:3]

Adult enjoyment: [rating:4]

Donut Man.
  Ok, maybe I’m dating myself with this one – but really, Donut Man albums tend to be good quality.  The kids can sing (yes!) and while the plots sometimes run a little thin, the plot really isn’t the point, so it’s not a big deal.  One of the things we liked was that in the days just before the worship movement, there would very often be at least a few vertically worshipful songs on each album.

 

Star rating:

Lyrics: [rating:4]

Arrangements: [rating:5]

Originality: [rating:4]

Anointing / Carrying the Spirit: [rating:4]

Singability: [rating:5]

Kid enjoyment: [rating:5]

Adult enjoyment: [rating:4]

 

The Rizers.
  Maybe I can redeem my 90s-centric list with this one?  Very electronic and upbeat, The Rizers are a kind of 2010 version of Hide ‘em in Your Heart (minus kids and Steve Green).  Every song is a Bible verse, which really does help with Bible memory.  Better yet, the references are included in the song, so you get to learn the verse and where it’s found in the Bible.  One warning though: don’t listen to it if you don’t want to go around the house the entire rest of the day humming the catchy tunes…

 

Star rating:

Lyrics: [rating:5]

Arrangements: [rating:4]

Originality: [rating:4]

Anointing / Carrying the Spirit: [rating:4]

Singability: [rating:4]

Kid enjoyment: [rating:4]

Adult enjoyment: [rating:4]

Bethel Kids.
  This is another newer group (their first album “Come Alive” came out in late 2015).  The songs are simply songs that Bethel Music has put out before (Chasing You, Deep Cries Out, Freedom, etc.) with a much more electronic edge and children singing instead of adults.  There’s also a high-quality DVD of the kids singing and dancing, but since I’m talking about the album here, I won’t go into detail in this post.  Overall, just a good-quality album that even adults can enjoy.

 

Star rating:

Lyrics: [rating:5]

Arrangements: [rating:5]

Originality: [rating:4]

Anointing / Carrying the Spirit: [rating:5]

Singability: [rating:5]

Kid enjoyment: [rating:4]

Adult enjoyment: [rating:4]

GT and the Halo Express.  Hands down, these were the children’s tapes we listened to most in the 90s.  The general premise is that angels visit a brother and sister and teach them Bible verses and Biblical truths.  Each album has a storyline (well thought out, or at least not too thin, with excellent voice acting) with the Bible verses set to music (good quality music, too).  There are usually 10-12 verses per album, so if you get the entire set, you can learn 100 verses.  Especially helpful was “God’s Protection Day and Night” which drastically cut down on the night terrors for many children I know.  Other themes include God’s love (there is some minor arguing and bickering in this one), God’s plan of salvation, overcoming adversity, our worth in God (so very popular in the 90s!), valuing people different from ourselves, and a Christmas album that includes both traditional Christ-centered carols and Bible verses about Christmas (we regularly sing these around Christmastime).  The one problem: they’re only available through the gthelo website.  Hey, at least you can get them on CD… for years we struggled along with cassette tapes because there literally was no way to get digital copies.  So, hurray for the creators for bringing them into the 21^st century!

 

Star rating:

Lyrics: [rating:5]

Arrangements: [rating:4]

Originality: [rating:4]

Anointing / Carrying the Spirit: [rating:3]

Singability: [rating:4]

Kid enjoyment: [rating:5]

Adult enjoyment: [rating:4]

 

Do you have any children’s albums you find good quality?  Please comment below!  I’d love to hear about them!

 

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