My one real complaint is that there are a few tracks where the production quality isn't that great. Still, it's a beautiful CD and well worth having in your collection.

There is mention on the back and in the notes of the Statler Brothers. I'm not quite sure what they have to do with the CD other than writing the blurb in the booklet. They certainly aren't singing any of it and I have to think that fans of the Statler Brothers and people who would want this CD are probably mutually exclusive groups.

I would like to make a few notes about the songs, positive and negative:

Track 1: Holy Holy Holy - there is one singer - sounds like a young woman - who is about a mile off key.

Track 2: Praise to the Lord - for some reason, about half of the choir decides to roll their R's in this song. It would be nice if they could be a little more consistent.

Track 3: O Worship the King - absolutely beautiful! The trumpet part is outstanding.

Track 4: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today - arguably the best song on the CD

Track 5: The Church's One Foundation - one verse is a cappella .... very well done. The rolling of R's is back.

Track 6: Abide With Me - Very well done. This is a beautiful hymn and they perform it very well. One complaint: there seems to be some background noise like shuffling of pages or something. I hadn't noticed it in any of the others.

Track 7: All Things Bright And Beautiful - I have never heard this hymn before. I looked it up in my hymnal (Southern Baptist) and it isn't in there .... I guess it's before my day. It's very upbeat and sounds very well done.

Track 8: Crown Him With Many Crowns - The rolling of R's is back again. Other than that, this song is very well done. One note: the words are a little different than you usually hear.

Track 9: Be Still My Soul - Very well done .... beautiful harmonization. This is really a very comforting song.

Track 10: Fairest Lord Jesus - Very nice. There is a beautiful solo in the second verse. It's extremely well done.

Track 11: Amazing Grace - This is very well done. I like it.

Track 12: Come Thou Almighty King - The recording quality doesn't sound the same on this track. It almost sounds like it was recorded on a tape player and then copied onto a CD. I can hear tape static in the background. The performance is quite good, though.

Track 13: Onward Christian Soldiers - It doesn't get much better than this. This hymn is performed very well.

Track 14: Be Thou My Vision - Decent. Not great, but pretty good.

Track 15: Joyful, joyful - The production quality is absolutely horrible. The CD sounds like it is a tape .... and a bad one at that. Then, there is a BLATANT edit at the beginning of the first verse on the first "joyful". I actually took my CD out to make sure that it wasn't scratched.

Track 16: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah - Beautiful. This hymn is very well performed.

Track 17: Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven - This one really makes you feel like you are in a giant church of days gone by.

Track 18: O For a Closer Walk With God - this one also has the aforementioned tape sound. The performance is ok, but not great, but the tape sound ruins it.

Track 19: All Creatures of our God and King - this is a beautiful song and it is performed EXTREMELY well. I could just play it over and over.

Track 20: Nearer My God to Thee - This isn't performed the way you usually hear it .... it's definitely in a different key. It almost sounds like they are singing only the harmonic line. It's not bad though .... just different.

Track 21: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name - very well done.

Track 22: The King of Love My Shepherd Is - I had never heard of this one either. There is a very beautiful solo in the second verse. I like the words quite a bit.

Track 23: The Holy City - I have been looking for this song for ages. I hear it played on Christian radio all the time but I never even knew the name of it. The solo is first rate. I absolutely love this piece. It's very well done and one of the top two or three pieces on the CD.


Outstanding   November 21, 1999
 24 out of 25 found this review helpful

Hymns played in the traditional way with full choir and organ accompany only. In the style I grew up with.


All Things Wise And Wonderful   June 14, 2001
 23 out of 28 found this review helpful

Despite the attempt at a 'just us folks' attitude--the liner notes are written by third-rate country singers the Statler Brothers, for some reason--this is a very English album. Aside from the fact that the choirs are from Cambridge, Paisley Abbey, St. Marks Church North Audley Street, the Royal School of Church Music and others, the inclusion of "All Things Bright And Beautiful" and "Crown Him With Many Crowns" leave the impression of a fine service in an English country church.

I disagree with the assessment that this is somehow a sonically challenged recording. It sounds as if you're in the 12th row of a mid-December service, and that is as it should be.


Wonderful and Glorious   March 11, 2004
 21 out of 21 found this review helpful

Being an Episcopalian choir member, it is such a treat to hear many of the same hymns I sing each Sunday performed by such a talented choir. The beauty and majesty in each hymn makes for a wholly uplifting experience. I like that they include the lesser known arrangement of Nearer, My God to Thee(my personal favorite) and lesser known Anglican hymns. If you enjoy listening to these gorgeous hymns sung as they were meant to be, I highly urge you to purchase this CD.


A wonderful CD---great selection with beautiful singing   April 26, 2000
 19 out of 20 found this review helpful

When I first developed an interest in CD recordings of hymns, this was the first CD I bought, and I still number it among my favorites. It includes most of my favorite hymns, and they are sung in a very traditional way---with lots of meaning but without lots of overdone singing drawing attention more to the singer than the words or meaning! I don't know much about the Statler Brothers, who wrote the liner notes, but if this is the kind of music they like, I think I would like them!