While I normally stay out of the "awful hymns" discussions, I would point those interested to a pair of articles by Anthony Esolen from Providence College. These were originally published in "This Rock," but they can now be found on http://www.catholicculture.org in the "culture" section of the website. (Actually, there's a lot of good stuff on this site.)

Esolen first dissected the melodic style and then the prosody in a number of hymns from "Glory & Praise." If you're looking for more talking points on the limitations of this music, you might find it useful. These articles articles were published last year and I wish the author had used another hymnal for his examples. Why? Lots of folks will say, "Well, we've moved beyond Glory & Praise. We now use ________." Quite true, but a large number of those hymns can be found just about anywhere.

Again, enjoy the articles - and why not look up some recipes while you're at it.