No two Jars of Clay albums sound even remotely alike. The guys in Jars, as well as their various producers, have tried something totally different on every single Jars of Clay release to date. This gives their catalogue a huge dose of variety, but it also leads to much anticipation and high standards for future Jars of Clay albums.
Fortunately for Jars of Clay fans, the band definitely knows where their true strengths lie. The things that make them different from other bands are their unique brand of poetic lyrics, their innovative mixtures of acoustic and electric guitars, and a solid, layered sound that gives every band member a chance to shine. These strong points are more evident on the foursome's latest record, The Eleventh Hour, than ever before.
The record opens with "Disappear," a song with an intriguing theme and main character, as well as a catchy chorus. In fact, the entire album is extremely melodic and hooky. Musically, this is some of the band's best songwriting to date.
As the second track rolls around, "Something Beautiful," which features what sounds like two time signatures in the chorus, the theme of the album starts to become apparent. The lyrics of The Eleventh Hour seem to deal with people who are burnt out and complacent, and who seek new movement and new life. Thematically, the record is rather similar to Switchfoot's Learning to Breathe.
"Revolution" is a whole new sound for Jars of Clay. Though it does sound a bit like something off of the band's bizarre If I Left the Zoo, it sounds more akin to U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," due to the obtrusive, militant drumming. It is not quite as lyrically profound as other tracks on the album, but it is easily one of the most fun Jars of Clay songs of all time.
"Fly" brings us to another interesting point. Many of the songs on The Eleventh Hour deal directly with relationships, though it is never specified whether the songs refer to a girl/guy relationship or a relationship with God. This open-endedness makes the album relevant to all listeners, and it also illustrates the way that many of our earthly relationships mirror those that we have with the Father.
One of the more poppy songs on the album is the fifth track, "I Need You." At first the overtly simple chorus ("I need you, I need you, I need you/ You're all I'm living for") was a bit of an annoyance, as it seemed like a bit of a departure from the otherwise poetic lyrics of the album. In all honesty, though, the verses are very well written, and the chorus is no worse than the band's previous hit "Love Song for a Savior." It is most definitely the sappiest chorus on the album, but the song as a whole isn't bad.
Though the old "Which Jars album is the best?" debate will probably go on for quite some time, The Eleventh Hour is both a musical and lyrical triumph, and will certainly prove to be one of the brightest stars in the world of music this year. To quote "Revolution," "If you know the words try to sing along/ When you get the beat grab a hammer, bang a gong!"
Josh's Score: 5/5
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #95Reviewed by Doug Van PeltGet this straight: I've despised this band's music for years. I wouldn't have given this album the time of day, at least anytime soon, if it wasn't for a co-worker's suggestion. This critic is blown away! I was just waiting for a dodgy CCM radio slug, but kept being pleasantly surprised by track after track of smart, textured pop. The title track, especially, is a triumph in songcraft, taking a…The Phantom Tollbooth April 2002Reviewed by Bert GanglReleasing a watershed project can be a mixed blessing of sorts. While it usually carves out a fairly prominent position on the musical map for the group or artist in question, it oftentimes becomes an impossibly high standard against which the sole success or failure of successive projects is determined. At the time of its 1995 release, the Jars of Clay album was nearly universally praised in…The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by David MartinBefore I start this review, let me just get one thing out of the way - I've forgiven the guys in Jars of Clay. The news got out while they were working on their latest album, The Eleventh Hour, that they were big Mac lovers and that they were recording and mixing the entire thing, as well as putting together the album art, on their beloved Macintosh computers. Apple had this little tidbit…Similar sounding releases
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