It's always hard for a critic to give a mediocre grade to a band whose music he is absolutely in love with. Even harder when the album he's grading is genuinely packed with solid material. But, as much as I hate to say it, that's the case all too often with greatest hits packages put together by a label upon a band's departure - great music, shoddy presentation. And it's unfortunately the case with the treatment that Essential Records decided to give their former flagship band, Jars of Clay.

Now I've been gushing left and right about nearly everything that this band has done for close to seven and a half years on this site, so at this point, Jars of Clay shouldn't need an introduction. They are my favorite band, and they'd probably have to record about seven or eight genuinely bad albums to make up for the good to great ones they've made time after time, in order to be dethroned from that position. They got there by being one of the first bands to really describe the Christian faith to me in poetic terms with imaginative music when I was young and impressionable, and they stayed there by showing a relentless ability to revamp their style year after year, never becoming totally unrecognizable, but never content to follow the same formula that scored them a string of massive Christian radio hits during their first few years as a band. While those in the mainstream might be like, "Huh? They're actually still around?" when I bring up their name, they haven't exactly been hurting for exposure in the Christian market, and they continue to get a lot of critical acclaim as well - it's hard to do both. So it's only fair that someone would see fit to try to compile all of the band's best loved songs onto a single disc to bookend their tenure with Essential Records - a label that, as much as I hold them in contempt nowadays, served as their home and got the word out when nobody knew who these long-haired Toad the Wet Sprocket lookalikes even were, and can at least be credited with putting up with their risky stylistic morphing during the earlier part of their career.

Here's the problem with putting the best of Jars on a single disc, though - it can't be done. Of course, that's the point of view of a diehard fan who would probably have to make painful decisions to cut songs even if afforded the space of three discs to make a best-of collection for the group. Trust me, I've tried to make the "definitive best-of Jars of Clay" mix for friends on several occasions. I always come out feeling terribly unsatisfied with the results. So it's not fair to except perfection from the label here. But I think it is fair to expect more than a scratch-the-surface treatment that purports to be the band's Greatest Hits (imaginative title there!) while leaving out more than a few solid singles that did well for the band. We're not even talking about fan favorites that were never officially radio singles (though a few of those actually do appear, making the song selection that much more baffling). This band's singles aren't even necessarily my favorite songs, but if you purport to be collecting them all in one place, you should at least use the space afforded to you on a single disc to cram in as many as you can. This one settles for a mere 13 tracks (plus one newly recorded song - always the cheap shot to hook in existing fans who insist on being completists), which doesn't even give a good overview of half of the band's studio albums (three of which are only represented by one song). Every song included here is good, and I can't really take issue with the reasons for putting any of them on there, because all bring back a "flood" of memories (pardon the pun) due to how I basically turned from a boy to a man with these guys' music as the soundtrack. The problem is that I also get swamped with memories of the songs that should have made the cut, but didn't. It's enough to bring on resentment for a few of the more obvious radio hits here, particularly the ones from the latter half of their career so far. And thus, the mixed reaction and the so-so grade.

But to be fair, the folks who compiled Greatest Hits got a few things right. With the exception of the retrospective album Furthermore, they did at least make the effort to include something from all of the band's major releases, despite some of them being rather unpopular with the fan base. And no tricks have been pulled - every song is the original album version, with no radio edits, no remixing, nothing changed except perhaps some subtle remastering of their earlier work. They didn't stretch the definition of "hit" by throwing in obscure non-album tracks or live versions or other oddities - as a fan, I'm always relentlessly curious to hear these things, but I rarely appreciate them breaking up the flow of a collection that's supposed to be wall-to-wall classics, particularly when I'm faced with a "new" version that pales in comparison to the original song. Economy may have dictated that decision, to some extent, but I ain't complaining. Jars of Clay's material is usually best presented the way it was originally recorded, so at least I can say that this disc is cohesive and respectful to the band's original intentions for these songs, rather than being a hodgepodge.

You know what's weird, though? Less than a year ago, Sony BMG brought us a two-disc collection called The Essential Jars of Clay, which is confusing due to the name of their label, and because you've "essentially" got two competing best-of collections releasing so close to one another. I suppose the band should be flattered, since the two-disc collection puts them in the company of truly timeless artists like Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash who got a similar "Essential" treatment, but man, what a clusterscrew this is for the band's fans, or even for those on the fence, looking to get into the band. If you're such an individual, looking for a one-stop shop that will serve as a good primer for Jars of Clay's talents, then I suppose you could do worse than the 14 songs on Greatest Hits, but I'd much sooner recommend The Essential Jars of Clay, which retails for not that much more, despite having more than twice as much material. The inclusions and omissions on that one are perhaps more baffling, but at least they used their available space and then some.

It's gonna be hard to come up with much new to say about some of these old nuggets which I've raved about many times before in various reviews, but I'll do my best to focus on the importance of each song and the validity of its selection (or not!) over other potential choices from the source album.

Flood
I called it, way back in college. Back when Jars of Clay only had two albums to their name. I said that if they ever put out a Greatest Hits album, "Flood" would be track one. I mean, duh. It's their most recognizable hit, the one that got them their fifteen minutes of fame in the mainstream and all but guaranteed a definite shot at some real longevity with the Christian audience. And the one that features those four tense acoustic guitar chords, strummed over and over in a repeating pattern that the band must be absolutely sick of nowadays, but that never fails to make the crowd go absolutely insane at one of their concerts. What more can I say? 13 years later, and the thing still rocks, sans electric guitars. That's not easy to do. And that string section during the bridge? Breathtaking. I may tire of it getting so much attention that many of their other songs get overlooked, but I'm not sure I'll ever tire of the song itself.

Love Song for a Savior
While it's a bit early in the track listing to go all down-tempo, I suppose it makes sense to flip to this tune next, since it was the band's first Adult Contemporary hit on Christian radio. It's the kind of love song that everyone in Christian music wants to write, but few manage - a delicate balance between simple praise and personal confession/conviction. It's a song about the flowery words we sing and the words that go in one ear and out the other while we sit acting all pious in church - somewhere in between all of the going through the motions, there's a hunger for a deeper, truer connection with God. That's what this song is all about. The lovely blend of drum programming, acoustic guitars, soothing background vocals, and a light-hearted recorder interlude (you know, the flute-like instrument) was a great early example of Christian pop music going all "alternative" on us. And it totally took the airwaves by storm, and for good reason.

Like a Child
While I'm a bit surprised to see that this one made the cut, I'm not gonna argue - it's been my favorite Jars song, and quite possibly my favorite song of all time, for over ten years now. The subject of childlike faith, of not wanting cynicism to take over as I inevitably grow old and grey, has been a close one to my heart for as long as I can remember, and when I heard it put into words in this lilting folk song with its playful drum programming and its "Irish Spring hoedown" fiddles and pipes, I immediately fell in love. Out of the "big five" songs from the band's self-titled debut that seem to endlessly get played at every concert, this would be the one that most often gets left out, so it's really interesting to me that they included it here while leaving out the other "big slamming rocker" from that album, "Liquid".

Worlds Apart
You could try to make a best-of Jars CD without including this song. But you'd probably get shot. While everyone has their personal favorites, this seems to be the universal one that everyone is extremely fond of, and for good reason, it's a disarming, soul-searching ballad that cries out from a place of utter brokenness and genuine longing for God to obliterate one's pride that has gone pretty much unparalleled in most of Christian music since. (Not that nobody's tried, it's just that these guys were that good even when they were fresh out of college.) There are so many pieces that conspire to make this a brilliant song - from the classic "Jars of Clay" strum showing its sensitive side on the dual acoustic guitars, to the lovely female vocals provided by Mancy Alan Kane that the band confusingly never seeks to reproduce in concert, to the arresting cascade of words that Dan Haseltine pours out during the song's climactic bridge, it's just impossible to find any flaws here. Ironically, this iron-clad fan favorite was never officially a radio single... but come on, they couldn't not include it.

And that's it for the band's self-titled album. The only mistake here was leaving out the aforementioned "Liquid", and the fact that, unsurprisingly, the first album dominates the track listing (which could have only been solved by a longer track listing, honestly.)

Crazy Times
Here's a big hit single that I could honestly do without - not that it's a bad song, because I do enjoy the tense, inventive acoustic guitar chords and Steve Mason's scorching electric solo - but it's still one of my least favorites from my very favorite Jars album, Much Afraid, which I still consider to be an underrated classic. It's simply a misleading song - a mid-tempo rocker that the band pulls off well, but that is in no way indicative of the mellow, melancholy album that was about to be dropped on fans who expected more of the same from the first album. That album had its other radio hits (none of which are represented here), but unfortunately, this one became the only track from it that the band would play in concert for quite some time, and for that I kind of resent it. Its inclusion would be fine if not for the exclusions.

Frail
Here's another surprise - this song was way too long to be a single (and at seven minutes, it kind of takes up a lot of the available space here - not that they used all that they could or anything), but I suppose it makes sense to include it because it is an iconic song from the band's early days. It was originally an instrumental track on the band's highly sought-after demo, also called Frail, and they kept that same haunting, finger-picked melody provided by Matt Odmark, but added a ton of drama to it with a full string section, Dan's cryptic lyrics, and the very long coda which works itself up into a maelstrom of drums, Charlie Lowell's keyboards, and the aforementioned strings all getting caught up in the moment. I can see why some fans get bored with it, but I drink up every second of this powerful instrumental passage.

That's all we get from Much Afraid, though. Casualties from this album include, most obviously, "Fade to Grey" and "Five Candles (You Were There)". My personal favorite "Overjoyed" really shouldn't have been overlooked, either.

Unforgetful You
The quirky electronic voice that starts this one off typifies the love-it-or-hate it response that fans had to the band's third album, If I Left the Zoo. It's quirky 90's pop/rock to the max, in part due to the band's exploratory nature, and in part due to producer Dennis Herring's relentless tweaking. This one's a really odd mixture of earthy electric guitar groove, sunny handclaps, and odd keyboard wizardry, and it's almost guaranteed to either put a smile on your face immediately, or annoy the hell out of you. I fall into the "smile" category, but like most of the album, it was a grower. Now I can't get it out of my head.

But seriously, that was the only track worth noting from If I Left the Zoo? No "Collide"? No "I'm Alright"? No "Famous Last Words"? Sigh. This album was the very definition of "underrated", which is a shame - it's one of their most surprising and innovative.

I Need You
On we go to the band's fourth album, for a more breezy, conventional radio hit that starts to show the tension between art and industry that was beginning to pull at the band's seams circa 2002. They had The Eleventh Hour complete and ready to turn in, and the label apparently didn't want it without a clear worship song to use as the lead single, keeping with the trend of pretty much every major CCM act doing the "worship album" thing in those days. So the band grabbed a couple of lines from a different song that they hadn't planned on releasing, and reworked their ideas into a melodically pleasant, poppy song with intriguing verses and an annoyingly simple chorus: "I need You, I need You, I need You, You're all I'm living for." You can hear all of the little innovative production touches and the poetic lyrical ideas bubbling to the surface, and honestly, they do a pretty good job of writing a really good song around a repeated line that is pretty much a songwriting faux pas. Because of that, I still enjoy it. But to say that this is the best track on TEH, and therefore worthy of being its sole representative? That's an insult.

I mean, seriously... no "Revolution"? That song was a blast. "Silence" still slays me every time, and sure, not a single, but it's every bit as powerful as "Frail", if not close to as stunning as "Worlds Apart", but everyone overlooked it, it seems. Not even a "Fly"? That was a totally conventional radio hit that would fit the definition of this compilation (it even got some minor mainstream radio play), but... nope.

Show You Love
2003 marked a major change for the band as they decided to strip away most of their "big rock show" tendencies and do something very intimate and acoustic. The result was Who We Are Instead, a rather earthy record with some solid conviction and exploration of the "dirty hands" aspect of the Christian faith, whose weightier sentiments were completely ignored by Christian radio in favor of cheery songs like this and (*gag*) "Sunny Days". I kind of hated this one for a while, but it grew on me, as most Jars songs have a habit of doing. It works best when the rest of the album is there to give context to this song's sentiment that "I'm gonna show you love in every language, I'm gonna speak the words that need no form". The song references true love being an action, not just a spoken phrase, that can lead to sacrifice and even death. I won't hold a grudge against it, but it really doesn't work as well by itself as it did on the album. Fortunately, it's not the only song from WWAI to make the cut. (Inexplicably, the Essential Jars of Clay collection gets it wrong by leaving this one out.)

Amazing Grace
And again I have to ask, was this one ever a single? I think it was too slow and sparse (and perhaps even a bit too "country" ) for Christian radio. No matter - it's another personal favorite of mine, and a good example of the less poppy, more downbeat side of Who We Are Instead. It's not a cover of the hymn, but rather, more of a personal reflection on what it means to be a sinner, an outlaw, and to find God's grace in low places you never expected it to appear. This sucker's got slide guitar in it, for crying out loud. And it's got the inimitable raw power of Ashley Cleveland's guest vocals. For a group of white dudes from the Midwest, it's probably tough to get much more soulful than this.

And here comes the part where we mourn the many overlooked classics from WWAI - the obvious ones being "Trouble Is" and "Jealous Kind". "Lesser Things" and their cover of America's "Lonely People" deserved a nod as well.

God Will Lift Up Your Head
The second album in the band's "acoustic" phase was Redemption Songs - which is almost the definition of irony in Jars of Clay lore, because hey, the band finally put together a worship album, after being pressured by the label for so long to do it, and since they decided to focus on largely obscure hymns with a decidedly folk/country take on many of 'em, the label saw fit to hold it hostage until, once again, they could manipulate the band into recording an ill-advised single. Thankfully, the blunder that was "It Is Well with My Soul" never actually saw the light of radio, and they got this track instead, a reworking of an old hymn text that got translated as the album's only true rocker. It's got a soaring chorus with overlapping vocals offering a genuine sense of encouragement in appropriately old-timey language, and it was about the only prayer that the band had for a hit single from this album, so I'm glad that they played it to the hilt here.

Which is not to say that there weren't plenty of other fine renditions on Redemption Songs. "I'll Fly Away" would be the most obvious exclusion, since I think it was a single at some point, but beyond that, despite a great many personal favorites, I honestly can't name a track that I'm appalled they left out. So maybe just this once, I'll give 'em a pass for only using one song from an album.

Dead Man (Carry Me)
Track 12 and we're already at Good Monsters? That was the band's last studio album while they were still on the label, and it was a doozy - it got tons of critical acclaim pretty much right away, even getting some of the nay-sayers back who had fallen off due to the unexpected twin curveballs of Much Afraid and If I Left the Zoo back in the day. Some described it as their first true rock album. It was certainly front-loaded with two of the band's most rockin', electrified hits, and this was the first of the two, immediately showing off the band's new auxiliary drummer and bass player (the band has never had full-time members on either instrument). The jumpy lead guitar and the highly danceable, Franz Ferdinand-inspired rhythm are tough to get out of the old noggin', that's for sure, and the song is a clever take on what it means for a man to feel totally dead inside and unable to go forward on his own power. Even at their most fun-loving, this band has always has something spiritually meaningful to say. (Well, if you don't count "The Coffee Song".)

Work
Good Monsters' opening track was its second big hit, getting immediately cranked up with Mason and Odmark's thrilling guitar intro, and letting loose with another relentless drum beat - this one represents the band at their most in-your-face, but also at their most cryptic. I'm actually surprised that Christian radio embraced a song with such dark lyrics as "All the demons look like prophets" and "I have no fear of drowning, it's the breathing that's taking all this work", but more power to 'em for finally greeting one of this band's endless self-redefinitions with open arms.

And that's it for the band's existing hits. No further exploration into the myriad of fine songs that populated Good Monsters. Then again, maybe I should be glad that "There Is a River" isn't on here - it was never one of my favorites and I kind of resented the fact that it got radio play while many more intelligently written songs never had a chance. That's how the story seems to go with every Jars album these days.

Love Is the Protest
Let love make saints out of hypocrites
Let grace fall from broken lips
Turn dirty rags into white flags...
Here's the "new track" included to hook in any existing fans who have yet to familiarize themselves with iTunes (or less scrupulous means of getting a single song from an album that isn't worth buying). Unsurprisingly, it plays like a Good Monsters B-side, with perhaps a little bit of "Revolution" thrown in on the side - it's probably the bit about getting love out on the dance floor that reminds me of that one. It's one of those "finding truth in oxymorons" type of lyrics that the band has gotten quite good at writing, but I can't say that it's their best example. The chorus is a bit weak, and seems to want to be catchier than it is, with Dan mostly just singing "Ahh-ahh-ahh" and the title of the song again and again. Whether this one was actually a reject from an earlier album, or hastily thrown together to meet the label's demands for this project (hopefully the last thing they'll ever be contractually obligated to do for Essential), I can't say. I enjoy it, but it obviously pales in comparison to the hits that preceded it.

Well, I think I've said all that I need to say at this point. Good music. Shoddy representation of the body of work of a solid band. Get the new track by itself through digital means if you really want it. For the rest, if you're curious about Jars of Clay, just start with Good Monsters, and I bet you'll like that enough to become a fan and check out all that came before, if you're not already one.

ALBUM WORTH:
Flood $2
Love Song for a Savior $1.50
Like a Child $2
Worlds Apart $2
Crazy Times $1
Frail $1.50
Unforgetful You $2
I Need You $1
Show You Love $1.50
Amazing Grace $1.50
God Will Lift Up Your Head $1.50
Dead Man (Carry Me) $2
Work $1.50
Love Is the Protest $1
Glaring Omissions -$10 (roughly $1 per worthy song that was left out)
TOTAL: $12

(I suppose the total worth would be $22 if you were honestly new to the band and didn't know what was being left out. Still, that money would be better spent on The Essential Jars of Clay.)

Band Members:
Dan Haseltine: Lead vocals, tambourine, accordion, occasional percussion
Charlie Lowell: Piano, keyboards, organ, accordion, backing vocals
Steve Mason: Acoustic & electric guitars, lap steel, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals
Matt Odmark: Acoustic & electric guitars, banjo
Jeremy Lutito: Drums (tour only)
Gabe Rushavul: Bass (tour only)

Websites:
http://www.jarsofclay.com
http://www.myspace.com/jarsofclay

Recommended: No