When Judah the Lamb is taken by the townspeople to become a sacrifice, his six new friends from a Bethlehem stable have to go to his rescue. An incredible adventure follows, full of danger, drama and heroes. Judah’s new friends, led by Slink the clever mouse and Esmay the motherly cow, meet up with Jack, a teen-aged donkey with an attitude. Jack is less than happy to be part of the crew, but when the furry and feathered band of stable animals get separated and need saving, it’s Jack who rushes to their rescue. Even the best efforts of Jack and the rest of the stable friends are not enough to save Judah. In this incredible tale of adventure and compassion, it takes the greatest hero of all, The King, to save Judah... and all the other animals, too...

Having not seen Lion of Judah, I can't comment on whether it's any good (although I must admit the whole premise sounds a bit twee), nor can I give an opinion on whether Greg Sims's music works when added to the picture. What I can tell you though, is that Sims's music works wonderfully as a standalone project.

There are old composers whose music I love, and have done for years. John Williams, James Horner, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Silvestri... but even their greatest soundtracks have atmospheric moments. What I mean is that there are tracks that don't do anything for you (they're fine for the movie, but a little dull when listened to in isolation). Sims's score for Lion of Judah is bursting with quality material from start to finish. Yes, there are a number of themes that are repeated, but not so much as to be obviously intrusive.

There are little nods here and there to other composers work. The 'Main Title' has a slight nod to Gustav Holst's The Planets. In addition there are segments that felt like James Horner's work on Jumanji as well as John Williams-esque sections. In fact it's Horner and Williams that seem to be the main inspiration here.

The running time for this soundtrack is just over 40 minutes, spread over 23 tracks. This is wall-to-wall quality music that will delight and entertain lovers of soundtracks.

9

Darren Rea