Last year, Jars of Clay broke into mainstream airwaves with their pop smash song "Flood." A little over two years after their debut release, reaching platinum level within a year, Jars of Clay has released their follow-up recording on Silvertone Records. Needless to say the band has definitely grown and matured their musical style, unifying and narrowing their sound. Today the band is much more solid, yet subtle through its simplification and reduction of additional programming, so prevalent in their first CD. J.O.C. has replaced some of the techno sound of their former release with real instruments, adding richness to the already heavy 11 song CD. "Much Afraid" is not only lyrically heavy and sometimes sullen, but is musically deeper. The sound on this CD is extremely tight and unified, each song fitting into the big picture. The overall tempo on Much Afraid is much more slower than their first CD, but the quality far exceeds the quantity. This is a band that has already established itself in the pop scene with an incredibly popular sound, but as of September 15, has quite effectively redefined their sound and direction, improving and softening the vocal strength of their melodies and harmonies, which may limit their air time this round, but has brought the band to a new level of musical quality.
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2002Reviewed by David MartinIs there a CD in your collection that, every time you listen to it, you're forced to say to yourself, Wow, I can't believe how good this is!? Is this same CD generally misunderstood by a lot of the people who listen to it? Such is the case with Much Afraid, the deliciously crafted second album from Jars of Clay. Writing about this album is truly a daunting task for an otherwise verbose reviewer.…The Lighthouse March 1998Reviewed by Beau BlackHow to follow a smash debut-ah, the age old dilemma. No Christian artists in recent memory had a more successful debut to follow than Jars of Clay. In making Much Afraid, they had two options: play it safe and essentially remake their debut with different tunes; or stretch, take some chances, and risk losing some of the huge following their first disc brought them. Fortunately, they chose the…7ball #14Reviewed by Mike Parker"This is the story of how Much-Afraid escaped from her Fearing relatives and went with the Shepherd to the High Places where perfect love castest out fear." So begins Hannah Hurnard's classic allegory, Hinds' Feet On High Places. It could easily be the story of Jars Of Clay's sophomore effort, Much Afraid. Exploring themes of total dependence on Christ, shattered human relationships and God's…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Chris ParksWhen Jars of Clay burst so suddenly onto the scene last year, achieving popularity to the point that even I had heard of them, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. The adulation poured out on the group by some struck me as excessive, considering that the group's members were fresh out of college and had had an unusually quick trip to a recording contract. When I actually bought their debut album,…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by James StewartThis sophomore release from Jars of Clay sees the band adopting more electric guitar, but without losing their characteristic sound; there is still a strong presence from strings and even a few appearances from the trusty drum machine of the first album. There are eleven tracks, including "Frail," originally recorded for their indie release and one of my favourite tracks with a haunting mood and…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Mark J. AylorCan you say "sophomore slump?" I thought you could. This just doesn't have the "edge" their first album did. Maybe the Dove Awards went to their heads. Maybe the newness has worn off. There are several songs I like a lot -- "Frail," and "Tea and Sympathy" -- but as a whole, I found this to fall short of their first effort. They did step things up a little with more electric work. This made it…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Cathy CourtwrightJars of Clay holds a special place in my heart as, just before the release of their debut album, they sang at the funeral of a friend of mine. This project has many similar qualities to its predecessor. However, it does it in a slightly different form that may not be as popular with all their fans. This album seems to focus a bit more on the guitars and the quality of the lead vocals as opposed…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Lisa ReidMy overall impression of this CD is that it's both very good and very disappointing. The Jars have gone in a new direction musically with this album. It seems more polished, perhaps, than their self-titled CD. A little more mellow. In some ways, a little more radio-friendly. Fans of their last album will find that the first single from this one, "Crazy Times," sounds most like it belongs on that…The Phantom Tollbooth 1997Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinWhile most young college grads are grinding out punk or ska songs these days, the boys from Greenville College have opted for a genuine, gentle sound. Yet again they've managed to create an urgent blend of alterna-folk-tinged tunes. Although they invoke the Moody Blues and The Beatles on some tracks, the emulation of Toad the Wet Sprocket still rings most noticeably. This album is at times lush…Similar sounding releases
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