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Much Afraid Review

This was one of the first Jars of Clay CDs I had the pleasure of listening to after I became a fan of the band a few months ago. They are truly amazing, and despite the critics and such, I think they did pretty well with "Much Afraid." It's not only a statement concerning the Christian faith in general, it's a very personal reflection on the band's feelings about reaching out to a secular world with a message of faith and hope. From what Jars has said in interviews they were very "much afraid" to make a follow up to their smash hit self-titled debut because they were mocked by the secular music audience for being too preachy and then scorned by the Christian audience for not being preachy enough...so through rough times, bouts of depression and a passion for Jesus Christ, Jars of Clay wrote some of the most honest, spiritual, poetic and overall some of the best music i've heard from them yet on "Much Afraid." The stand out tracks (in my opinion) are "Crazy Times" which is a painful reminder of the reality of heartache, "Tea and Sympathy" a great observation of a self-serving society, "Frail" a beautiful depiction of humility and "Truce" which is the most eccentric song on the album. Most have blamed the band's third album "If I Left the Zoo" for being the moodiest and the darkest album they've released. However, "Much Afraid" perfectly encompasses a season of despair and confusion, while still reminding us to keep faith. Great music with a powerful message...

Review by: Caitlin, Amazon.com