Christmas Songs
Artist: Jars of Clay
Label: Gray Matters, Inc
Time: 14 tracks/49:33

A Christmas disc usually goes one of three ways: (1) All covers of classic songs, (2) All new material, or (3) Strike a blend of these two extremes.  Jars of Clay, like most CCM-ers before them try for number three.  They stretch the cover songs beyond what the normal band would consider, throwing “Wonderful Christmastime” and “Christmastime is Here” in with “In the Bleak Midwinter” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”  You would expect no less from these guys.

This is definitely the Jars of Clay that brought us Redemption Songs, and not the young band of the self-titled album and Drummer Boy EP.  They deliver these songs with reverence and restraint.  The exuberance of “Little Drummer Boy” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” from the EP is not here.  Interestingly, the band has included both of those tunes on this new disc.  These are new recordings that display the band where they are now.  I enjoy the EP versions of both songs better, but that is one of the few missteps the band employs in this new effort.

One of the great surprises I enjoy in this CD is the stand-out work of Charlie Lowell on keyboards.  Stand-out in a dual sense.  First, the playing is top-notch, adding textures and support that help the songs stand out, none more so than “Love Came Down at Christmas.”  Stand-out also in the sense that the keys seem to stand out more within the arrangements, refusing to be buried, as keyboards often are.  Lowell also plays off of the bass part well on “Wonderful Christmastime.”

That song (written & originally recorded by Paul McCartney) is an interesting study on this disc.  So many covers of the song lack the playfulness & joy in the original recording.  Jars of Clay’s is the first cover version that retains this quality, while simultaneously arranging the song to make it their own.  However, Dan’s voice is sadly misplaced in delivering this tune.  His voice can sound energetic and upbeat, but he delivers this with his usual melancholy, rendering the whole song less than the sum of it’s (instrumental) parts.

Haseltine, however, delivers great vocals through the rest of the project, standing out in his delivery of “Gabriel’s Message.”  While lacking the bombast of Sting’s delivery of this same tune, Haseltine’s vocals are just as strong.  Additionally, his voice is perfectly suited to “In the Bleak Midwinter” and Jars originals “Hibernation Day” and “Winter Skin.”  I would love to hear the band cover Phil Madeira’s “Christmas This Year” if they do this again down the road.  Haseltine could probably nail its biting wit.

The band drop grace notes into several songs, with small lines of classic carols, stellar instrumentation, enjoyable arrangements, and a nice mixture of old, recent, and brand-new.  Strings play throughout the disc, without overwhelming the band at any point, and Christine Dente delivers fine vocal support on one song, much as Leigh Nash did on the Good Monsters disc.

While not essential Jars of Clay, Christmas Songs is a fine addition to their catalog.  Fans of Redemption Songs will love it, and Jars fans will appreciate having another comfortable Christmas disc that doesn’t wallow in schmaltz, reek of bombast, or deliver overly produced top-40 style pop.  While the band should’ve dropped the two repeat songs from the EP for new material, the overall quality of the disc is very good. 

By Jonathan Nelson 
10-16--07