Music Review: Greatest Hits by Jars of Clay

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Truly great songs

Cons: Too many truly great songs left out

The Bottom Line:

Not definitive

But for a one disc round up

Definitely good

Attempting, and Almost Succeeding, at the Impossible

I am one of those obsessive collectors bands love. I buy every CD they release and every greatest hits collection as well. And I have found that very few collections truly capture everything I love from an artist. And the longer the career, the harder it becomes.

Greatest Hits makes a brave attempt at collecting 13 years of hits from Jars of Clay. These songs were spread out over 7 studio releases. And they've got 13 slots, plus the requisite new track. Talk about an impossible mission.

Now before we go too much further I should confess I am a casual Jars of Clay fan. When I am in the mood for some progressive/acoustic rock, I pull out one of their CDs. But I find I don't return to them constantly like I do my favorites. What does that mean? I was probably easier to please when it comes to this collection then the die hard fans would be.

The disc opens with the quintessential Jars hit, "Flood." Is there anyone who was alive in 1995 who doesn't recognize it from those opening driving guitar strums? Not only was this a huge hit on Christian radio, but just about the time it died there it was picked up by secular radio for a whole other run. If this song hadn't been on the disc, I would have been shocked.

"Flood" is the first of four tracks from their self-titled debut. Frankly, I'm not surprised that disc got the most tracks from Jars' catalog. It is still the best known of their releases. In fact, most fans will be sorry to see that "Liquid" didn't make the cut. That's fine by me because my favorite, "Like a Child" did. I have loved this attempt to recapture childlike faith. It's a quick song that starts out quietly but really builds for the chorus. And the pipes add to the folk rock feel.

The struggle of living as a Christian in the world is explored in "Worlds Apart." This is a rock ballad that evens throws in references to Greek mythology. It's a pretty song with the inclusion of strings and some tight harmonies.

And from there we are off to the races as we briefly sample tracks from their other six studio projects. And I do mean races. Three of the discs only have one release each, which hardly seems to truly represent anything. Yet, what are you going to do with a one disc collection?

What's really interesting is watching the progression of the band's sound. Since the songs are in chronological order, we get to see how their style has evolved. "Frail" shows off the melancholy rock tone of Much Afraid while "Unforgetful You" brings us back to the lighter, pop/rock of If I Left the Zoo. The band went more acoustic for Who We Are Instead, and that's reflected in the simple, quiet elegance of "Show You Love" and "Amazing Grace." The band managed to mix country and rock well for Redemption Songs, and "God Will Lift Up Your Head" reflects that. Finally, it's back to pure rock for "Dead Man (Carry Me)" and "Work" from their last studio release.

Oh, but the list of songs left out. Even this casual fan missed "Overjoyed" and "The Eleventh Hour." I have always loved "Grace" and would have loved to see that here (even though I knew it was a long shot.) At least they included something from every release. Redemption Songs is one of my favorite Jars albums. If I were picking, we would have had another couple songs from there like "O Come and Mourn with Me Awhile" or "I'll Fly Away."

But enough mourning what was left out. Let's get back to the great songs that are here. "God Will Lift Up Your Head" takes an old, forgotten hymn and gives it a new, rock melody. I absolutely love it. And no, "Amazing Grace" isn't another version of the classic hymn but a new song about God's amazing grace. And really, can we have too many songs on that topic?

I know many Jars fans didn't like "I Need You" because of the repetitiveness of the chorus. I, on the other hand, have always loved it. Probably because it's a good mix of pop and rock, and I tend to enjoy things more on the pop side then the rock they normally do. It's a good praise song about our dependence on God.

The disc ends with the new track. Unsurprisingly, "Love is the Protest" is a rocker much like the songs from Good Monsters, their last studio release. Lyrically, it's a reminder that love isn't a nice emotion but requires hard actions. The verses drive the point home more then the rather bland chorus does, however.

For the true Jars of Clay fan, no single disc could ever truly capture the Greatest Hits for this band. For the casual fan who wants one disc to represent this band, this disc works, however. These are all strong songs. It's just too bad there wasn't room for more.

CD Length: 59:49

Tracks:

1. Flood

2. Love Song for a Savior

3. Like a Child

4. Worlds Apart

5. Crazy Times

6. Frail

7. Unforgetful You

8. I Need You

9. Show You Love

10. Amazing Grace

11. God Will Lift Up Your Head

12. Dead Man (Carry Me)

13. Work

14. Love is the Protest