The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has recently released a string of excellent recordings, of which Peace Like a River is the latest. Taking full advantage of the strong Orchestra at Temple Square, and presenting a refreshing variety of music, this is a great album that I highly recommend.

Running time is almost seventy minutes, and all the music is pleasant. The liner notes state that the purpose of the recording is to "create a feeling of peace and comfort in time of need" - and I think it succeeds.

The track list spans a wide range of styles. There are a few great John Rutter pieces, All Things Bright and Beautiful, Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace, and A Gaelic Blessing. There is a nice setting of the primary songs, A Child's Prayer, several traditional spirituals, a couple unfamiliar presbyterian hymns newly set, and a wonderful performance of the dissonant but lovely The Lamb, based on the William Blake text.

The lion's share of arranging comes from Mack Wilberg, associate conductor of the choir and producer of many, many arrangements over the years. He arranges most of the hymns for the choir broadcasts and conference performances, and those arrangements are very formulaic and tire easily. However, Wilberg established himself long ago as one of the world's most masterful choral arrangers of folk songs.

I attended a concert several years ago that featured The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Utah Symphony, and the world-renowned King's Singers. One of the King's Singers mentioned that when they were invited to perform the concert, they specifically requested that Wilberg arrange a song for them. That song, Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends, appears on this album, unfortunately minus the unsurpassed vocals of The King's Singers.

The point being, Wilberg's arrangements on this album are excellent, and several are brilliant. Most notably, Be Still, My Soul is as inspiring as it is unconventional. Sweet Peace, Peace Like a River, and Thou Gracious God are all lovely, and Wayfarin' Stranger is so beautiful that it's heart-breaking.

The drawbacks of the album are typical to most Mormon Tabernacle Choir recordings: all the songs are rendered in the same vocal execution, which works for hymns but is not suited for spirituals. "I've got peace like a river" doesn't sound right sung with precise, sharp, LDS enunciation.

The other problem stems from having 360 voices in the choir, and from recording in the ultra-resonant Tabernacle: You simply can't understand most of the words. But that's a problem that the choir has had for many, many years.

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Tim Y. Jones

1. Sweet Peace
2. Be Still My Soul
3. Peace Like a River
4. All Things Bright and Beautiful
5. The Lord is My Shepherd
6. This is My Father's World
7. Wayfarin' Stranger
8. Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace
9. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
10. Deep River
11. The Lamb
12. A Child's Prayer
13. It Is Well with My Soul
14. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
15. A Gaelic Blessing
16. Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends
17. Come, Let Us Anew