The roots of the band Jars of Clay can be traced back to
Greenville College in Illinois. They
released their self-titled debut album in 1995.
It included the single ‘Flood’, which was a hit, peaking at #37 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and at #12 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. In 2002 Jars of Clay released their fourth
full length project, THE ELEVENTH HOUR (Essential). It was their third consecutive album to win
the Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. It also won Best Modern Rock Album at the
2003 Dove Awards and peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200. All of the songs were written by group
members Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matt Odmark. The album was produced by Jars of Clay and
executive produced by Robert Beeson.
First up is ‘Disappear’, a terrific pop love song: “I watch
you smile, you steal the show/You take a bow, the curtain falls in front of
you/You’re magical, on display/I gaze into your eyes and you turn to look the
other way/But I’d really love to know, I’d really love to climb my way into
your heart and see what I could find/I’d walk into your skin, swim through your
veins/See it from your eyes/Cause I’d really love to try, yeah”. John Catchings plays cello on ‘Something
Beautiful’, which cries out to God: “Do You see it on my face/That all that I
can think about is how long I’ve been waiting to feel You move me?/Close my
eyes and hold my heart/Cover me and make me beautiful/Change this something
normal into something beautiful”.
‘Revolution’ is a fun, contagious rock song: “The time is right to cross
that line, to let love find a way/If you know the words then try to sing
along/And when you get the beat, grab a hammer, bang a gong/Cause you don’t
gotta fight or make yourself belong to be a revolution”.
Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will appreciate these
lyrics from ‘Fly’: “I saw the host of silent angels waiting on their
own/Knowing that all the promises of faith come alive when you see home/Hold
still and let your hand melt into mine/And I’ll fly with you through the night
so you know/I’m not letting go (2X)”.
The album’s first single ‘I Need You’ is a warm pop song of innocence:
“You are the shelter from the rain and the rain to wash me away/I need You
(6X)/You’re all I’m living for”.
‘Silence’ is appropriately a quiet song. It reminds us that the Christian life is not
always easy: “Where are You? (2X)/Did You leave me unbreakable?/Leave me
frozen?/I’ve never felt so cold/I thought You were silent/I thought You left me
for the wreckage and the waste/On an empty beach of faith/Was it true?” ‘Scarlet’ features guest vocals by Fleming
Painter and is poetic: “For love I have scaled the face of these kingdom
walls/So let down your hair, let our kiss make fools of them all/And this old
scarlet letter won’t keep me from holding you/And there is nothing you can
do/Nothing you do”.
Next up is a great rock song, ‘Whatever She Wants’. It warns about the type of woman not to get
involved with: “All her wants to fill a need/She wants to save you with her
bandages after she makes you bleed/Like a vampire, a parasite/Stretch the necks
of her victims/She finds her prey in broad daylight/When you’re up, she’s down,
down she’s up, it whips around/It’s the ride the way that she needs it/Whatever
she wanted for whatever you need/Speechless and silent while she takes
everything”. The song was the album’s
fourth and last single. The title track,
‘The Eleventh Hour’ is a pleasant sounding song that waxes philosophical:
“Rescue me from hanging on this line/I won’t give up on giving you a chance to
blow my mind/Let the eleventh hour quickly pass me by/I’ll find you when I
think I’m out of time/I’ve been down without you, cold without your love/In
time will I be what you’re thinking of?”
The beautiful ballad ‘These Ordinary Days’ follows. It includes this lyric which is a pearl of
wisdom: “The harm of words is sometimes we don’t quite know what they really
mean”. Tab Laven plays banjo on ‘The
Edge of Water’ which includes these words: “Do we give up this search and turn
out the light and give up this holy ghost that rattles through the night?/I
can’t see the sun for the daylight, I can’t feel your breath for the wind.../I
get so used to these shadows/Will you chase away these shadows when you come
back again?”
THE ELEVENTH HOUR is more a group of Christians making good
music than it is a Christian band making a Christian music record. The lyrics from time to time do touch on
spiritual themes, but this isn’t a blatantly evangelical record, and that’s
okay. This pop, rock, and contemporary
album is a pleasure to listen to. Dan
Haseltine’s vocals are easy on the ears.
This record is an artistic success that young adults should enjoy. It is soothing. I’m rating THE ELEVENTH HOUR 94%. For more info visit: www.jarsofclay.com or find them on
Facebook.