Customer Reviews

Hymn

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hymn is one of the best Christian music CDs I have ever heard. It combines the best of the old traditions and favorites with some complementary new expressions and treatments. The result is that many old favorites are brought to life in a way that repsects their roots, yet makes them more appealing to todays listeners. This really gives us the best of the old and new. As such, it is a good way to introduce young listeners to more traditional and classical music styles.

The album also serves a spiritual role for the Christian believer as most of the songs themes address primary tenents of the faith. This is a must CD for anyone who enjoys Christian music.

"HYMN" is a collection of contemporary and traditional religious songs. This recording is just one of a long string of excellent recordings by the very versatile and talented American Boychoir. One listen to this outstanding album will open your eyes to the reason that they are THE PREMIER TOURING CONCERT BOYCHOIR in America. Some of the beautiful songs included in this recording are "Amazing Grace", "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Fairest Lord Jesus", "Softly and Tenderly", and the timeless "Morning Has Broken". All selections are sung in an SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone) arrangement as this choir includes boys with changed voices. This blend of vocal range gives the album a most pleasant tone that one can enjoy over and over again. So, relax, close your eyes and open your mind to this most beautiful collection of music which represents The American Boychoir at their best.

I was raised Lutheran and absolutely love the hymns on this album. If you're like me, you'll soon find yourself singing along, remembering when you were a little kid sitting on your mother's lap on a hot summer Sunday morning. The American Boychoir, with their youthful voices, breathe new life into these timeless tunes and lyrics. The results are beautiful. This is their best.

This is an incredible CD. It is filled with beautiful hymns, old and new, and even some new twists on old hymns. This CD is GREAT for playing on Sundays, or any other day for that matter. One reason this CD is so great is that it is sung by the American Boychoir, a small choir from Princeton, NJ. The boys go to a boarding school there, and practice in excess of 15 hours a week. They all love to sing, and you can hear it on this fantastic CD...

For technical proficiency and fidelity to the original you can't do better than this.

Especially listen to "There's A Wideness in God's Mercy," a setting not often found in hymnals but perfectly expressive of the words. BUY THIS!

Once again, we have one of the World's Premiere Boys' Choirs singing with the purity, clarity, and competency only they are capable of. This could be a five star effort if Litton would just trust the boys to carry their own on this album. Just listen to "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." The arrangement stretches one's imagination a bit for a Bach chorale, but the boys manage to carry it off with aplomb. Then contrast this to the folk/pop-style adult soloist singing his rendition of the "Spirit of the Living God."

Unfortunately, Litton seems to believe that he must punctuate, if not puncture, most of the choir's albums by including these "popular" gratuities. This one is no exception. The boys are capable of success on their own. Just listen to them singing the first part of Britten's Ceremony of Carols, for example. And if they must do works with adults, listen to Dixit Dominus.

Still, this is an album with enough to merit a recommendation to buy. One can always edit out the offending tracks.

I allege that this CD bridges the gaps between traditional, conservative, and liberal Catholics. Not that any want the gaps bridged, but that's another story.

If this CD's Lamb of God does not make you weep, you are not Catholic, even if you prefer your lambs more agnus dei, as I do. There is a lovely latin choir beneath this fabulous song which is done in English by a woman with a tender voice.

Meanwhile -- surprise -- All Creatures is an unexpectedly traditional setting just when you are expecting something out of the Glory & Praise, the songbook conservatives love to hate.

And, another surprise is the guitar-ish opening to Amazing Grace that evolves into some very Anglican-like traditional voices from the boy choir! How did they make that work?

They even convince me to like another cut by a guy with a sort of guitarish, Talbot-ish voice: Spirit of the Living God. How do they make that work with the choir behind it?

Finally, this choir makes Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling into something you'd expect to hear in some sung Mass. Wow. What a vision. Full of surprises. Love it.