Jars of Clay- Self titled.
Jars of Clay are:
Dan Haseltine- Programming and lead vocals
Matt Odmark- Programming and guitar
Stephen Mason- Backing Vocals, Guitar & Bass
Charles Lowell- Backing vocals, Piano & Organ
I would ahve some history here but I dont know any. :confused:
They where signed to silvertone in 1994, and this album was released in 1995. It became a big hit.
Liquid 5/5
This song opens up with an awesome sampled gregorian chant. The vocals are very good, Dan Haseltine is a great singer. This is a pretty powerful mid paced acoustic song. While it may not seem like it, the music is quite hard to play. The musicianship is definetly top notch here. The lyrics are very powerful as well. Thats one of the strengths of Jars of Clay, they have lyrics that while obviously christian, are still well written and will appeal to everyone.
Sinking 3/5
The worst song on the album IMO. The lyrics and vocals are still good, but the vocals are a bit awkwardly structured and the song never really goes anywhere.
Love song for a Saviour 5/5
This is an awesome song. It's very major key, which can get kind of annoying, but otherwise it's a very uplifting song. The lyrics are great, the gutar work is excellent, but the highlight of this song is probably the strings, They fit perfectly in place and lift the music up to a whole new level.
Like a Child 4.5/5
Another song with a very good string arrangement, and the vocals are very well done. The guitars take a bigger spot then usual in this song as well, particurly in the great intro. The only reason why this song doesnt get full marks is because I cant stand the string arrangement and the drum loops are a tad cheesy, but mainly because I hate the little kids sampled for this song. Must be the metal fan in me coming through.
Art in Me 5/5
A flawless song. The vocal melody is amazing, and the lyrics are probably the best in the album. The strings come in perfectly and really help the music. The guitar work is worthy of a mention, as this song has some very hard chords to string together.
He 3/5
This is a fairly good song, but nothing new is really presented here. This song feels a bit like filler. And the vocal interlude is really annoying. It just seems.. well too wussy I guess.
Boy on a string 4.5/5
This song sounds a lot like the others.. Cool string arrangements, Lots of acoustic guitars and the usual great vocals from Dan Haseltine. This song however is a bit jauntier and a bit faster paced, and the string arrangement plays a bigger part of the song.
Flood 4/5
Many people regard this as the best Jars song ever. I think it's quite overrated, but it's still good. The string arrangement is great and the guitars sound quite different from the other songs, definetly more ominous and minor-key. The one beef I have with this song is that chorus doesnt really take the song up to the next level. Otherwise very good.
Worlds Apart 5/5
IMO the best song on the album. The lyrics are great, very honest and down to earth. The vocal line itself is great too. They use a few female voices in the chorus but to good effect. The main thing about this song though is the vocals, with are simply excellent. They make the song great.
Blind 5/5
Another great song, though It seems a bit anti climatic. Its slow and mournful. The strings in this are great, playing a big part in shaping the song as it is. The chorus is slow but very good. Once again Dan does wonders with this song. The lyrics are very good as well. A good song that shouldnt be last on the cd however.
Conclusion:
Im a big metal fan but this is great music to relax too. Great musicianship and a very honest album. The one problem would be that it does geta bit corny sometimes. All in all though, excellent.
5/5
