Children Beyond is the follow-up to the 2009 album Beyond. This album constituted a remarkable shift in Tina Turner’s career, as it was her first involvement in a spiritual project. Beyond was a big success, reaching a top 10 position in the Swiss album charts and raising approximately 300,000 Swiss Francs (325,000 US Dollars) for several charity projects. Therefore, it was a logical decision to continue the project with Children Beyond, which will be released in Switzerland and in a digital version today.
There are a few significant departures from the first Beyond album. The most noticeable is that Tina Turner, Regula Curti and Dechen Shak-Dagsay are now joined by a choir of thirty children. The three ladies are not as prominently featured, the children are the real stars.
For this album, a wider range of prayers and songs from different religions was chosen. The album includes songs from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism. This creates an incredibly varied sound, with a very rich range of languages, instrumentation and voices.
The key to Children Beyond is participation. It is not just an album for listening; the goal is to get children and adults in contact with different religious traditions and through this way increase respect and tolerance. Therefore, the booklet that comes with the album contains lyrics and positions for each song, so it is easy to sing along. The message of each song is explained, there are songs for concentration, healing, celebration and calmness. Although the aim is to reach children, it can be very useful for adults as well. The layout is very well done, making it very attractive to give the singing a try!
Most of the songs are simple and involve a lot of repetition. Each song is sung by the children’s choir, who are sometimes joined by one of the three singers. The one exception is the first song Calling, a spoken-word / rap song in which Tina introduces the album: when you sing, you do the right thing! This is one of the most powerful tracks of the album. After the introduction, the album includes twelve prayers and mantras from different religions. The most powerful songs are the Islamic prayer Allah Hu, the Buddhist mantra Buddham Saranam Gacchami and especially the Hindu peace mantra Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu, in which Tina leads the children through a call and response.
The final track of the album, Unity, which was released as a digital single, is another stand-out track. The song combines six declarations of affirmation from the different religions on the album: Amen, Amen, Amin, Om Sarva Mangalam, Om Shanti, Sat Nam. It is the only song on the album on which the three different singers take solos.
Children Beyond is a wonderful album and is a wonderful addition to the Beyond project. It really succeeds in its aim to invite the listener to participate and to broaden one’s musical and religious horizons. The album is very accessible and it can reach a wide audience. The only negative aspect is that Tina, Regula and Dechen are often too much on the background. Their beautiful voices deserve to be more prominently featured. But, it seems that Children Beyond is just a next step in the Beyond project, and that many more chapters will follow in the future!
Children Beyond will be released today in Switzerland and as a digital download worldwide on Amazon.com
The album will be released on cd in Germany and Austria on October 14: you can order the album worldwide through Amazon.de
Tina Turner Blog 
Downloaded it from iTunes… Very disapointing release. Some tracks (1, 8 and track 14) are good, but majority does not touch me at all. The first “Beyond” cd is so much better….
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Is it already available on iTunes worldwide? Shame you don’t like it that much. It’s a shame there’s not that much Tina on this record, and indeed the first one might have been more complex and deeper. But Children Beyond is more accessible and therefore I think it will be more succesful in acheiving the aims of the Beyond project, I hope! I like it, and I really like the booklet with lyrics, interpretations and positions! Sjef.
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It is also already available as download from Amazon UK.
Maybe I expected too much. For me it is not only Tina that I like on the first Beyond CD. I like the whole CD, and even prefer the version without the Tina chants. Even though I like the chanting from Tina, I feel they don’t match with the rest of the album. The “Children Beyond” cd is indeed much lighter and I am sure it will be succesful. Only track 8 and 14 are of the same level and provoce the same emotions as the first “Beyond”.
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BTW, love the new picture of Tina in the heading. Aging, but beautiful and happy…
Another remark: Strange that there is no mentioning of Roger Davies in the CD booklet. This must be a first? Was he at the press conference?
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Thanks Lasse, well i don’t think Roger Davies is related to the project in any way, Tina probably talked about it with him but that’s it. The husband of Regula, Beat Curti is producing & Erwin also so i think he took care of everything business wise.
And glad you like the new headline logo 🙂
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I love the new headline logo too!
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Thank you Faye!
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I think its excellent to see a well know celebrity promoting peace and unity between the worlds major religions. Hopefully this will make people realise that our common interest is to live in peace with one another. This is a very positive move, I only wish politicians on the world stage could promote peace and harmony in the same way. You deserve a medal. It doesn’t really matter what faith you follow, what matters is the deeds you do in the time we’re here.
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Thank you for your contribution Warren. I agree it is wonderful that Tina has lend her voice for this, and I believe the message behind the project is wonderful. I hope it will reach a lot of people!
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My favorite so far is absolutley the Hindu peace mantra Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu!
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Mine too Luka! (Sjef)
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Mine too Luka! (Ben)
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Greetings Ben & Sjef,
You have an excellent blog!! Thank you for liking where I posted your Beyond Children article. I was not sure how to contact you as I was wanting to gain approval first so please let me know if any changes need to be made. If alright, I was wanted to put your blog in my recommended links area also. Blessings for the wonderful work you both do. 🙂
Caine
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Hi Caine,
Thanks for your post on your (really nice) blog. We would be honored to appear on your links area! Thanks for your support and your comment!
Blessings,
Ben & Sjef
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Thank you so much Ben & Sjef, you are too kind.
I have added you to my links area and recommend you. Your blog is Bella, so beautiful. Blessings in your life’s journey,
Caine
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I only purchased the tracks that Tina are on
I must say she is singing VERY LOW on Jai Da Da… very clear, consistent and impressive low notes. I did not measure the notes to see where they are on the scale but this is possibly the lowest I ever heard her sing.She sounds fantastic.
I also liked Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu is also really nice. She begins with some very low notes there as well on the OOOOHs. She also sings two choruses but they are both the same exact vocal (its looped), which is disappointing, I wish she just sang it two different times.
Nice to hear different kinds of vocals from her.
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That’s a beautiful CD.
I liked the first one too, but this is… just amazing.
I’m a hobby-artist and like to take photos, paint and write to music… and this two CDs are much help to be creative. 🙂
(If someone cares ’bout my stuff > altairtheeagle.deviantart.com will help you.)
Thanks Tina, for beeing so amazing.
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Hi Altair, thanks for your comment, those cd’s are indeed perfect for creativity 🙂
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Congratulations on your wonderful cd with the ‘Children Beyond’. I am fortunate to know two of your inspired young singers, and was introduced to your project by a Dear Friend in Zurich, with the gift of your original cd which is so beautiful and calming. As a Breathing Specialist, I am so happy that ‘The Breath of Life’, without which we could not live, is having such wonderful recognition, thro’ you , as the eternal element which, if used spiritually, with compassion, human kindness and – LOVE – can change the world …..I hope to join you (in England) for the tv showing today – 12/12/11 – if I can access the correct station ! With celestial blessings …beyond..beyond..beyond ….
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Dear Tina, i discover the album, lovely album and it, s a love and peace in your songs. I love your voice in this album. Children are lovely. Words are clears. I love it.
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Hey!
I can’t find the lyrics on the internet. Where can I find them?
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