Peace on Earth

New Age guitarist Kitaro aims for the mystical in this assorted international mixture of hymns and carols. Utilizing strings, flutes, harps, voices of an international children's choir, synthesizers, organs, percussion, and guitars, Peace on Earth retains a sort of enigmatic quality that transcends some of the more prosaic arrangements that color such warhorses as "Jesu Joy of Man's Desire," "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," and "Jingle Bells." Still, Kitaro's finally a great-old fashioned mood setter even as he aims for more ethereal realms, slowing down tempos, shading a phrase, or lyrically bending a line. It's not musical alchemy, but sometimes it's close