Album Review: The King Has Arrived

I’m always on the hunt for original Christmas music. Well-written songs hit our ear with old truth in a new way, and our callused ears and hearts sometimes need that to refresh the wonder we so easily lose. So I jumped at the chance to review this new children’s album: The King Has Arrived (available to order here). 

Like any time I’m working on a project, I opened up my laptop in a local coffee shop. The sky grew dark as I listened, and the soft lighting over the live edge wood tables made them glow and the space became extra cozy – the perfect setting for listening to Christmas music. It was a quiet Tuesday evening, and I listened to the album from start to finish. 

Other reviewers can speak to tonal quality, recording style, lyrical excellence and the other elements that make a song or album great. I’m listening for singability, listenability, and the potential of the music to fit into the backing track of the Christmas experience, but more importantly, the possibility of using the music in a church Christmas program (…since that’s kinda what I do here).  

I’m looking for (1) singability, (2) a message, and (3) inspiring lyrics and sounds. Also a progression of meaning – I’m not a fan of those worship songs that repeat the same basic truth without diving into any detail or creating any story arc (#triggered).

I didn’t know what to expect at all – I don’t know the artist personally and wasn’t familiar with the project prior to an international Facebook group call for pre-listens. And boy was I surprised!

The album is a blend of songs and dramatic storytelling, complete with dialogue and sound effects.

We join some rather eccentric scientists on a spaceship, where they have just discovered that the ship toaster also doubles as a time machine.  The characters bounce to different eras in pre-Christmas history, telling the story of Creation, the Fall, and God’s promises for a Deliverer. 

Each chapter is followed by an original song and the songs span the stylistic gamut – from a country ballad to Sinatra-esque crooning, to several other retro-inspired styles I recognize but can’t put a name to (but ones I’m sure adults over 40 will be familiar with).

My individual favorite song is the first track: “He’s Here.”  It’s very singable, with three verses covering creation, cross, and glorification. The lyrics are simple but the story progression is there.  If you know me and my narrative-and-context-based-writing style, you know this song would be a PERFECT fit for how I do things!  Because of the simplicity of the melody, I could see using this as a congregational worship song, or as the closing song for a kids’ production – to wrap up all the themes and bring the show in for a landing. 

Now, here’s the thing: the fictional setting is a group of mad scientists (with epic accents) travelling through time via pumpernickel bread shoved into a malfunctioning toaster. That’s not exactly the type of concept that ends up in my brainstorm list of Christmas program ideas. 

Here’s why: I generally don’t like doctrine obliquely shoved into a fictional theme (*cue rant about the cringe factor of most Christian movies, especially when they’re selling evangelistic dating). 

BUT I recognize the value in (a) making Biblical truth accessible for children who may not have grown up with Bible stories or Sunday School, and (b) refreshing the “same-old, same-old” feel for the kiddos who’ve heard Luke 2 read every year of their short lives.

Some of us grew up on The Donut Man, or GT and the Halo Express, or Veggie Tales. This is the same strategy, for a new generation.

Reframing the Christmas story in this fanciful, goofy-time-travel-via-toaster could spark a Christmas tradition for your family.  

One safeguard built into this album is that the silly fictional elements are clearly separated from the historical truth. The astronaut and his toaster are merely the gateways for a clear (if simple) presentation of the gospel.  And at the end of the day, as much as a child will giggle at the silliness of antics within the spaceship, it is the toe-tapping Biblical lyrics that will stick.

Most importantly, this album has a strong doctrinal basis, and avoids the seriously simplistic messages of some children’s program scripts I’ve read (I’m looking at you, comic-relief-4th -Magi who doesn’t know how to shop). 

Because Tinker and Co. ground the story in the story of the Fall and even some elements of Old Testament history, listeners are welcomed into a story that starts long before a manger in Bethlehem:

We’re introduced to a God Who has a plan (“He’s Here”). 

A God Who keeps His promises (“A Long, Long Time Ago”).

A God Who meets His people where they are (“Down, Down”).

And a God Who is worthy of trust (“King of the Nations”).

And all of that is the true meaning of Christmas.