Christian Band, Jars of Clay, Album Review: Good Monsters

As far as Christian bands are concerned, Jars of clay is a bit of an oddity. Though there are many solid, quality groups that populate the genre, Jars of Clay seems to stand a touch above the rest. Their latest endeavor, " Good Monsters," is a testimony to their musical prowess. It is driven, focused, alive.

But this is no surprise, seeing as how it birthed by a band that relies heavily upon both divine inspiration and a passion that stems from devoted, submitted hearts. Throughout their lengthy and influential musical career, Jars of Clay has consistently produced powerful albums. Beginning with their self-titled 1995 debut, the band has shown a fondness for imaginative and heart-felt compositions. Though the album itself was rough, possessing a rocky and raw quality, it still managed to convey the true potential of masters at work. Taken from the album and placed even on main-stream radio stations, the single "Flood" made a huge splash in a tiny pond, simultaneously establishing the band as a serious contender and redefining the potential for Christians to better reach the secular world.

But it is not their success on the open market that defines them, a fact that has been emphasized by the contents of the albums they have produced over a twelve year history. Though their 1997 follow up, " Much Afraid," did not convey the same outright spiritual emphasis as its predecessor (a fact that caused many to shy from the band), one need only listen closely to realize that the vast majority of the tracks are expressions of faith or pleading with the lost and backslider to find their way back. They speak the truth of the wayward soul, the fears of those saved by grace but wary of a distant or callous God. They sing and play through the bliss and the sorrow of the human state, offering vulnerable, honest souls to a world that views Christians as bigoted or holier-than-thou. In the long walk home, we all feel doubt, we all fall short or disobey. Jars of Clay just has a knack for setting the symphony of truth and emotion to music.