… according to me. Tyler Harper.
When I feel down, there are a couple of things that help lift my spirits. A sure-fire fix for my blue moments is having conversations with my kids. Since my boys are 6 and 3 years old, we don’t go too deep into politics or astrophysics. Instead, we talk about toys and characters, and we often get goofy. This helps me keep a level head and remember the priorities in my life. Unfortunately, my kids are not always there to cheer me up. As an alternative to our awesome and youthful conversations, I turn to music.
Mindless and popular music carried me through high school, but I now look for more inspirational types of tunes. I speak, of course, of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I affectionately call them MoTab.
During my mission I grew to appreciate and enjoy MoTab. In the years since I’ve been home, MoTab has remained a preferred choice of listening. Most of my favorite MoTab albums are from the more recent releases, beginning in 2003 with Consider the Lilies. Several MoTab albums have become a staple in my Sunday worship, and they help me remember the Savior during the week.
Here are my top 5 MoTab albums and why I think they are awesome:
Honorable mention:
Keep Christmas With You – This is the latest release from the MoTab Christmas concert in 2014. This album is an honorable mention because it’s not a studio album. However, I can’t resist anything that involves the Muppets. The music, the Muppets, and Santino Fontana make Keep Christmas With You a fun part of any MoTab collection.
Showtime! – This album is another honorable mention, mainly since it isn’t based on any hymns and it features arrangements of songs from musicals and movies. This is the album that, as a missionary, was a nice break from constant religious music.
- Then Sings My Soul – This album is full of what I call the “greatest hits” of the hymn book. It is the type of album that hymn-lovin’ people will enjoy. This album includes such favorites as “Redeemer of Israel”; “How Firm a Foundation”; “High on the Mountain Top”; and “The Spirit of God”. They’re absolute classics! This is a great album to start a MoTab collection.
- Peace Like a River – There are times in life when we look to music for peace and comfort. Peace Like a River blends African-American spirituals with peaceful hymns, and it even adds a little Irving Berlin to the track list. This album helps me simplify my life, and the music helps me feel calm. I used to fall asleep to this compilation during my college years. It was the perfect soundtrack for peaceful, sweet dreams.
- Spirit of America – Even though I am Canadian, I really enjoy the history of the United States. When it comes to music that represents American history, Spirit of America gets it done. The anthems evoke patriotic feelings, the folk songs invite sentiment, and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is the most rousing song on Earth! I love this album not only for the songs, but for the beautiful arrangements. It is so patriotic, and I am not even American! (But my awesome wife is, and she loves this album, too.)
- A Christmas Gloria with The Canadian Brass – In contrast to my love of the Spirit of America album, I am very proud to be a fellow countryman of The Canadian Brass. In Canada, The Brass are a highly respected (though seemingly overlooked) group whose talents take this album to another level. The sound of a choir singing Christmas songs, with the accompaniment of brass instruments, has a wonderful yuletide feeling. The Choir and Orchestra on Temple Square are amazing on their own, but The Canadian Brass help A Christmas Gloria take the title of best Christmas album in my book. It’s not Christmas in my house without this album.
- Choose Something Like a Star – My favorite MoTab album may seem an odd choice to some, but I have a special connection with Choose Something Like a Star. During the last 6 weeks of my mission, I served with a companion who was my companion in the MTC. We were having a hard time focusing on the work because we were both trunky. We knew we needed something to help us to focus for the remainder of our missions. I give full credit to my companion, who took me directly to the local LDS bookstore and sent me over to the MoTab albums. Choose Something like A Star had been released only a couple weeks prior, but my companion knew about Robert Frost and the power of his words put to music. Suffice it to say, our motivation to work increased and I enjoyed success in the final weeks of my mission. I give a lot of credit to this album and to Robert Frost. His words make you think, and the Choir brings his beautiful lyrics to life in an exciting and powerful collection of songs. I love it!
These are only my favorites, and I am not a musical expert. There are many other albums that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has released for your enjoyment and enlightenment. W
What is your favorite MoTab album? What will you be listening to this Christmas?