Jars Of Clay - Jars Of Clay
Before buying this CD I didn't actually know that much about JOC, but they seemed to be the hot band on the Christian music newsgoup whenever this was released in the States. People were enthusing about the album, but very few people seemed able to describe what it sounded like. A while ago I happened to see a video for one of the singles on the world music section of TOTP 2. I liked what I heard. I was amazed to find an import copy of this in one of the local record stores, so I bought it having heard a total of about 3 mins of JOC. I think it is about to get a UK release with a couple of extra tracks sometime soon.
Now I know why people had such a hard time describing the sound. Hootie And The Blowfish are a reference point. The band feature mostly acoustic instruments, with the occasional synth/organ used to fill out the sound. The best description of their sound that I can think of is - a rock band playing acoustic instruments with elements of folk/traditional music thrown in. At times you can hear elements of traditional Irish music, such as on 'Like A Child'.
Even though JOC are Christians, I never really get the impression that I'm being preached at. If you sit down and listen to the lyrics, then there is a message in there, but it's not overpowering.
This isn't typical of the type of music I would normally listen to. I'm not even sure that you could call it Melodic Rock. Melodic - yes, Rock - maybe not.
This one isn't going to have universal appeal to all the readers of Mood Swings. I have to admit that sometimes I get bored listening to traditional AOR/Melodic Rock music. It's at times like that this album gets played. In fact, it gets played surprisingly often. Highlights include Liquid, Flood (both produced by Adrian Belew), Like A Child and Love Song For A Savior.
Rating : 7
