The Mormon Tabernacle choir is quite good...
Catholic liturgical music, too, can be well done, because of the rich musical heritage, especially when it incorporates the European classics. I always liked the parts of the mass and Haagen, Haas, Hurd. The seasonal musical variations can also be great--for instance I always enjoyed the sombre, meditative songs and chants during Lent/Holy Week. I don't like the more hippy dippy hymns, though...and Catholic congregations tend not to sing, so the experience at individual churches vary, but when done well, catholic choirs are awesome.
I would say the worst religious music is the "empty" evangelical stuff which is just too happy-go-lucky and doesn't have any emotional depth. Mainline protestants like Lutherans, etc., can be a little bleh with their musical selections, too. The religions are just too feel-good and the believers in those churches are generally well off and don't have enough personal struggles for their music to be as expressive as in other traditions.
But HANDS DOWN, the best spiritual music in the United States is black church music. Gospel music can be virtuosic, fun, dancable, joyous, raucous, and emotionally wrenching and uplifting... This is obvious to anyone who knows anything about music history and how much of contemporary music has its roots in southern--and in particular black southern spiritual music traditions...
BRTD mystifies:
Black churches have awesome taste in music. Agreed on white fundamentalists.
I'm thinking of rap/hip-hop mostly. The first bunch of course is because that's almost all hardcore kids are.
Blacks are awesome at preaching though. We had a guest speaker for the sermon today who is this black guy who periodically gives sermons and as usual he was awesome. Catholic priests and "high church" preachers could learn a lot from black preachers.high church
BRTD, this post is so hopelessly ignorant. You really need to experience the world out of the lilly confines of Minnesota.
