watoto (lululululu)

What a treat to have the Watoto Children's Choir in church this morning.

These Ugandan orphans are bundles of energy, music and smiles. Can they sing and dance!

Their stories touch the heart. So much pain in their short lives. Most have lost parents to illness, often AIDs.  Some were abandoned in hospitals when they were infants. Others were left in the care of aging grandparents, older siblings, or to fend for themselves. Each child's story is full of pathos.

"I Am Not Forgotten" sung by Watoto

It was lovely to see the affection these kids get from their chaperones (the taller four people in the choir). These are young people from the Watoto church who accompany the choir on their six-month tour to look after the children, some as young as eight.

I was moved by their enthusiasm, gratitude, joy, energy, and hope for Uganda's and Africa's future.

This group, along with five other choirs, are currently touring. Check their website to see if a Watoto Choir is coming to your area. If they are you won't want to miss them!

Check out the video for a sample of their sound and energy.

cd review: Walking With the Wise

Sovereign Grace Kids' newest CD (released in June 2010) is all about wisdom. Walking with the Wise contains thirteen new songs done in the typical lively and interesting Sovereign Grace Kids' style that children ages 6-10 years will love.

Each song is based on passage or passages from Proverbs (the references are given under the titles of the songs in the liner notes, along with the lyrics). Songs are on topics of friendship, speech, deception, laziness, cheerfulness, listening to parents, and more. Of course the odd bit of humour (like the narrator trying to get some action from Lazy Bones in the song "Lazy Bones") adds to the appeal.

As on other projects, these tunes are ear-friendly to adults, and kids. The arrangements encompass a variety of styles from rock ("Wisdom"), to country-rock ballad ("Make Me Wise"), to pop ("Where it all Begins") and include sections with interesting blues ("Nuggets of Gold"), bluegrass ("To Tell the Truth"), and big band elements ("A Cheerful Heart"). The instrument list on the liner notes attests to the musical variety: drums, percussion, bass, a variety of guitars, mandolin, banjo, trumpet, trombone, accordion, even Gameboy sounds.

These songs are  also singable. A children's choir (usually in unison) backs a more mature solo voice on most cuts, so the pitch isn't overly high nor the sound shrill. Arrangements are easy to follow, making the CD a good one for singalongs. The enhanced CD contains accompaniment tracks (mp3 format) as well as guitar and lead sheets (as pdfs).

This CD would make a great addition to any home or children's ministry collection. The variety of topics and their relevance to kids' lives would make it a good companion to whatever Sunday School or school curriculum you're using. The lively contemporary style of the songs will have kids and their adults listening to this CD over and over — a wonderful way to make wisdom a part of mental and spiritual DNA.

Sample and buy the album here.
The album is also available on iTunes.
(Check out the free download of "Lazy Bones"!)

************

I received Walking With the Wise from Sovereign Grace Music for the purpose of writing a review.