Audio CD review:
Anonymous, German Anonymous, William B. Bradbury, John Darwall, Craig Jessop, Thomas Koschat, Robert Lowry, Harrison Millard, William P. Rowlands, G. S. Scofield - Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The Sound of Glory-Battle Hymn of the Republic

Anonymous, German Anonymous, William B. Bradbury, John Darwall, Craig Jessop, Thomas Koschat, Robert Lowry, Harrison Millard, William P. Rowlands, G. S. Scofield - Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The Sound of Glory-Battle Hymn of the Republic

Band: Anonymous, German Anonymous, William B. Bradbury, John Darwall, Craig Jessop, Thomas Koschat, Robert Lowry, Harrison Millard, William P. Rowlands, G. S. Scofield Title: Mormon Tabernacle Choir: The Sound of Glory-Battle Hymn of the Republic Rating: Release Date: 23 October, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Praise To The Lord, The Almighty 2: Lead, Kindly Light 3: Arise, O God, And Shine 4: All Things Bright And Beautiful 5: Sweet Hour Of Prayer 6: The Lord Is My Shepherd 7: The King Of Love My Shepherd Is 8: All Creatures Of Our God And King 9: Take Time To Be Holy 10: The Spirit Of God Like A Fire Is Burning 11: Simple Gifts 12: Battle Hymn Of The Republic 13: Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide 14: Sing Praise To Him 15: Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing 16: I Need Thee Every Hour 17: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Customer Reviews REAL MUSIC THIS IS MUSIC YOU CAN LISTEN TO EVERY DAY AND ENJOY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. White bread, well-baked in spots "Lead, Kindly Light," "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (in parts) and "The King of Love My Shepherd Is," for example, touch the soul and bring tears to the eyes. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir that performs on this disc is a tightly-knit, well-conducted unit, and some of the tracks on the disc border on the ethereal. However, on other arrangements the choir sounds like a group of white folks far removed from the remainder of humanity. For example, the opening track, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," and also "All Creatures of Our God and King" sound rote and perfunctory, like a group of elementary school students (with very fine voices, to be sure) going through the paces of a daily sing: elevator music on a grand scale. At the opposite extreme, sudden dynamic shifts in other tracks sound pretentious. The final bars of "All Creatures of Our God and King" suggest an attempt at a grand finale, but lack even a hint of majesty or passion. The choir lacks any apparent understanding of the Shaker spirit in "Simple Gifts" --- rather like Lawrence Welk playing Bob Marley. (Not that I've ever seen a Shaker in dreadlocks. ) "Battle Hymn of the Republic" begins majestically, but turns into a caricature, and then reverts to a semblance of glory (except for a brief flirtation with a minor key). The high praise lavished on this disc by other reviewers is no surprise: It is of very high quality for what it is. The choir offers a lovely sound. However, more than half the tracks are seriously flawed, and the musicianship is sufficiently peculiar on the whole as to lower the rating considerably. This is the one! These hymn arrangements are just beautiful and very touching. If you want to hear the best of the best, this CD is it. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys the choir and wants to feel a little closer to heaven. The choir seems to sing literally with one voice and you feel like they are singing just for you. Congratulations to the new conductor, Craig Jessop and all those who contributed to the quality that went into producing this CD. . You can see a complete list of all Anonymous, German Anonymous, William B. Bradbury, John Darwall, Craig Jessop, Thomas Koschat, Robert Lowry, Harrison Millard, William P. Rowlands, G. S. Scofield discography, or go back to the Anonymous, German Anonymous, William B. Bradbury, John Darwall, Craig Jessop, Thomas Koschat, Robert Lowry, Harrison Millard, William P. Rowlands, G. S. Scofield tabs