Now That's The Jars of Clay I Fell In Love With

Your wild Christmas party is starting to slow down, everybody's is getting over their party mood, and starting to settle down, maybe they're feeling the Christmas love, maybe they're taking in the festive atmosphere. You just finished your new Relient K Christmas album, so what do you put in for your quieting party? What do you put on to set a mood for love, reflection, peace, and some time with God? Christmas Songs by Jars of Clay.

As with any great Christmas album, this is mixed with a few of new tracks, along a few old classic that set your clock back to the day of ole, and there's a quite a few classics that you won't remember, but this album changes that.

The first classic is "Wonderful Christmastime" originally done by Sir Paul McCartney. You know you've heard it, it kind of has a electronic flavoring? Well this version differentiates itself by having a more piano flavoring to it. But what really makes it a classic version is Dan Haseltine's amazing, soothing vocals. It also smoothly integrates "We Three Kings" into the song.

"Love Came Down At Christmas" is a great original tune with it's folk feel, and great instrumental work. "Hibernation Day" is the highlight of the album with it's soft musical style. A sweet snow-day lovesong, this is a great piece of work by Jars of Clay, both vocally, and musically. "Peace Is Here" is another amazing song, with it's epic type buildup, leading up to a magnificent chorus. In fact, the whole song is epic in it's nature, lyrically, vocally, musically.

It's from this point on that the album really starts slowing down, especially with tracks like "Evergreen" which are great for sitting in a comfy chair drinking hot chocolate, and enjoying a nice crackling fire.

Remember the excellent "Drummer Boy" album that came out about ten years ago by the band? The one that built up the anticipation for this album so much? Well the track are here too, but reinterpreted. "Drummer Boy" now has a constant drum sound throughout the song, giving a whole new feel to the song.

With a label change, Jars of Clay enters a whole new era for the band. And what a way to kick it off, the album is simply amazing. A array of emotions fill the album, but as in songs like "In The Bleak Midwinter," the focus is never taken off of God.

This album is really about the finer things of the Christmas season, not about presents, and food, but of love, peace, reflection, and God. You could even say this album's theme is the true meaning of Christmas. So when looking on the shelves of the music store, and you're clouded with the fragments materialism, commercialism, party planning, and other things, just look for the album with the shining star in a Rockwellian portrait. The cover says it all.