Jars of Clay take their name from 2 Corinthians 4:7 which
reads: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this
all-surpassing power is from God and not from us”. The group was formed at Greenville College in
Greenville, Illinois in the early 1990’s.
They released their self-titled debut album in 1995. The song ‘Flood’ hit No 37 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and No 12 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. Jars of Clay toured with the likes of PFR,
Matchbox Twenty, and Sting. The group
put out a Christmas EP at the end of ’95 and a version of it was re-released in
’97. MUCH AFRAID also came out in 1997
(Essential/Silvertone). It was produced
by Stephen Lipson (Annie Lennox, Cher) and won a Grammy for Best
Pop/Contemporary Gospel album. On this
record, Jars of Clay is: Dan Haseltine (vocals/percussion), Matthew Odmark
(guitar/mandolin/vocals), Charlie Lowell (keyboards/piano/organ/vocals), and
Stephen Mason (guitar/bass/vocals). Greg
Wells plays a lot of drums and bass on this record. He would go on to produce for OneRepublic and
Katy Perry.
‘Overjoyed’ is a light rock song that is a conversation with
one’s Creator: “You name me/Who am I/That I should company with something so
divine?/Mercy waits/Overjoyed/Prospects of finding freeing/Freeing me/Love is
the thing this time I’m sure/And I couldn’t need You more now/The way that You
saw things were so pure/Overjoyed”.
‘Fade to Grey’ is a commercial sounding pop song that includes the
Nashville Strings arranged by Ron Huff.
These lyrics make it clear that God desires spiritual intimacy with us:
“And then I see You there/With Your arms open wide and You try to embrace
me/These lonely tears I cry/They keep me in chains and I wish they’d release
me/Cold is the night but/Colder still is the heart made of stone turned from
clay/And if You follow me/You’ll see all the black, all the white, fade to
grey”.
‘Tea and Sympathy’ uses the London Strings and is about a
relationship on the rocks: “Fare thee well/Trade in all our words for tea and
sympathy/Wonder why we tried, for things could never be/Play our heart’s lament
like an unrehearsed symphony/Not intend/To leave this castle full of empty
rooms/Our love the captive in the tower never rescued/And all the victory
songs/Seemed to be playing out of tune”.
The lead single from the record ‘Crazy Times’ is another commercial
sounding song and includes a nice electric guitar solo. It is about one who is struggling greatly:
“You try to climb a broken ladder/Grip the missing rungs/And fall down, down,
down, down/Seems some time ago you said this wouldn’t last/And now you sit here
crying, yeah/Beside your bed/You feel left for dead/You kneel in the dark/It
takes more than your saline eyes/To make things right”.
The next track ‘Frail’ was originally an instrumental on
their 1994 demo recording. Here it is a
tranquil number, almost seven minutes long. It uses English horn and
strings. Now it contains these
reflective lyrics: “If I was not so weak/If I was not so cold/If I was not so
scared of being broken/Growing old/I would be/I would be/Frail”. These lyrics from ‘Five Candles (You Were
There)’ talk about depending on another.
No man is an island: “I close my eyes and make a wish/Turn out the
lights and take a breath/Pray that when the wick is burned/You would say that
it’s all about love/You were there when I needed you/You were there when the
skies broke wide, wide open/You were there when I needed you/You were there
when the skies broke wide, wide open”.
‘Weighed Down’ expresses a desire for God to shine through
our weakness and frailties: “Light of the world/Are You still here?/And are we
illuminating/When love becomes a delicate display/So weak, dissolved by
anything?/Love lies here waiting all alone/Can a king be a king/Weighed down?” ‘Portrait of an Apology’ is kind of a boring
song. It has lyrics I need someone to
please translate for me: “Try to explain/The way that the frame/Doesn’t quite
fit the image/Or surround the edge/It stands on display/What do you see?/Behold
all the new grey/What’s become of the old me?/’Cause I remember it much
redder/And I remember it much brighter”.
‘Truce’ was the album’s fifth and last radio single and it
was the fifth to hit No 1 on Christian radio.
Musically it is upbeat adult pop, but again it has lyrics that are hard to
interpret: “I stand here wondering/And I’m waiting/My ear is twisted in all the
thoughts/A glimpse of truce just because/It’s always almost never close/I close
my eyes, hide the distance/Waiting around for some kind of peace/Hoping you’ll
find me in my need”.
The title track ‘Much Afraid’ is a slow, reverent one. It speaks of Christ’s faithfulness to us in
every circumstance we find ourselves in: “Empty again/Sunken down so far/So
scared to fall/Might not get up again/So I lay at Your feet/All my brokenness/I
carry all my burdens to You/All of these things/Held up in vain/No reason or
rhyme/Just the scars that remain/Of all of these things/I’m so much
afraid/Scared out of my mind/By the demons I’ve made/Sweet Jesus, You never
ever let me go/Oh, sweet Jesus, You never ever let me go”. ‘Hymn’ is an easy listening song, in the vein
of James Taylor, from a humble heart: “Oh gaze of love so melt my pride/That I
may in Your house but kneel/And in my brokenness to cry/Spring worship unto
Thee/Sweet Jesus carry me away/From cold of night and dust of day/In ragged
hour or salt worn eye/Be my desire, my well spring lye”.
I would say MUCH AFRAID is more geared towards adults who
value art and creativity than youth looking for a good time. There is something to be said for a group
including personal lyrics on their CD.
The only problem at times on this album is that the lyrics can be so
vague they are confusing! I am sure they
mean something to the group though. I’m
rating this album 86%. For more info
visit: www.jarsofclay.com.