Published on Apr 20, 2005
Along with DC Talk, Jars of Clay were responsible for bringing
Christian rock into the mainstream in the ’90s. Released in 1995 at
the height of the alternative/acoustic movement, the song “Flood”
became a massive crossover hit and introduced CCM and Jars into a
whole new breed of household.
Christian rock had no footing until Jars came about. While they
were not single-handedly responsible for starting the movement,
they influenced a number of acoustic-based Christian bands such as
Third Day, Audio Adrenaline and Sixpence None The Richer. One can
hear the seeds of those bands in this, Jars’ best work and one of
Christian music’s crowning achievements. In fact,
Jars Of Clay went double platinum.
Musically, this is simple acoustic alternative pop, akin to
R.E.M. Surprisingly, little of this is upbeat music — while there
are messages of hope, there is a slight sense of spiritual despair,
as if the band knows they will never reach the heights they wish to
attain. The terse song titles attest to this — “Sinking,” “Worlds
Apart,” “Flood” and “He” all deal with questions of faith, although
they are not questioning of the faith. The difference is
important.
Jars — and singer Dan Haseltine — are not preachy or trite,
and that sells the album. In listening to each track, one feels the
band are proud of their faith but treat it as intensely personal.
The lyrics often involve “I” and “me,” but instead of worshiping
God, they seek to understand him. Perhaps the reason for this
album’s success is its lack of pretension. Jars does not want to
convert anyone with this record. They just want to express their
faith, warts and all, and hope someone understands it.
“Flood” is the best song on here, naturally, but “Worlds Apart”
is a close second, a slow moody number that builds in intensity as
the song’s lyrics get denser. “Liquid,” produced by Adrian Belew of
King Crimson/David Bowie fame, uses strings and reverb throughout
to achieve a haunting effect similar to what one would see if they
stood alone in a Catholic cathedral staring up at a crucifix (which
is sort of what the lyrics imply).
Generally speaking, Jars has more to offer than their
counterparts and a better way of saying it. Fans of both Christian
and regular alternative will find this a necessary purchase, and
those put off by the Christian themes need not be worried. This is
closer to U2 and Live in spirit and succeeds by being unpretentious
yet catchy.