| Music
Review - Jars of Clay |
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Furthermore:
From the Studio, From the Stage
review by Joanne Brokaw
 Musicians sometimes say
that never really finish a song, they only run out
of time. Like any artist, they muse about ways a song
could have been recorded better, how it could have
been tweaked, or how it might have sounded with a completely
different arrangement.
With Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage, Jars of Clay has taken the opportunity
to revisit some favorite and familiar songs and given them a
breath of fresh air. The 2-disc set separates the
songs into two sections. Those “from the studio” are
acoustic reworkings of songs like “Love Song
for a Savior” and “Overjoyed”,
and sound like wonderful retellings of comfortable
and familiar stories. Songs “from the stage” showcases
performances from the band’s recent Eleventh
Hour tour, with live cuts including “Like a
Child”, “I Need You”, and the band’s
enormously popular “Flood”. In addition,
the band has included three new songs on the CD: “The
Valley Song (Sing of Your Mercy)”, “Dig”,
and “Redemption”.
“We find that our music connects with an audience
when we’re able to sit down and tell stories,” says
vocalist Dan Haseltine of the acoustic songs. “We
wanted to do a live record because a lot of the songs… translate
even better in a live setting. At the same time,
I think the acoustic stuff is where we shine as a
band.”
The acoustic songs bring to mind a coffeehouse setting,
tempo slowed down, with time for reflection on words
that resonate with mercy and grace. I especially
liked the almost jazzy touch to “Overjoyed”.
And yet the live songs still feel intimate, with
the sounds of a live audience scattered throughout
the recording as if the band and audience are both
participating in the show.
Furthermore is everything you expect from Jars of Clay and more, and highlights
another dimension of a band whose uncompromising faith and talent shine
through in everything they do. Using haunting melodies
and harmonies, and lyrics filled with poetic imagery,
the band shows us once again why they’re a
favorite not only in Christian circles, but in the
secular market as well.
© 2003 Joanne Brokaw All rights reserved.
Joanne Brokaw is a freelance writer
from Western NY who covers Christian music and current events affecting
the Christian community. Her articles have appeared in dozens of
newspapers in the US and Canada. For permission to reprint this column,
please contact the author at jbrokaw@frontiernet.net or
visit her online at www.frontiernet.net/~jbrokaw
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Scripture
taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of
International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering
of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International
Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights
reserved. |
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