Music Review: Jars of Clay – Christmas Songs

Finally, under contract to a new label, Jars of Clay has recently released their first Christmas themed project, Christmas Songs. The album is a mix of new and classic holiday songs, all with the electronic and alternative rock mix that Jars of Clay fans have come to expect. While most of the tracks are centered on the holiday season, a couple of them could be played throughout the winter as simple odes to love. “The Gift of St. Cecilia” is a short instrumental, no doubt an homage to the patron saint of musicians and church music. “Wonderful Christmastime” is a reworking of the song written by Paul McCartney, layered with synthesizers and percussion.

The words and lyrics to” Love Came Down at Christmas,” were written by the English poet Christina Georgina Rossetti. The arrangement by Jars of Clay is a traditional reading of the lyric, driven by drums. The band has taken “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and infused it with synth layers and drum loops and combined it with Dan Haseltine’s slow dripping lyrics, creating an electro-pop sound, suitable for a club.

“Hibernation Day” is an original song written by Jars of Clay with Jeremy Lutito and Gabe Ruschival. “Hibernation Day,” a song about staying out of the cold, and keeping warm with the one you love, is a ballad that could easily be played all winter long. “Winter Skin,” another Jars of Clay original song, is just a sweet little diddy about getting bundled up to take a walk in the snow. The faint sound of bells in the background may get you thinking about the holiday season.

“Peace is Here,” yet another song written by the group, is something we can all hope for this holiday season: Little children, born to chaos, sojourn by the stars appear/Though your fears wrap all around you, love has come and peace is here/Men to men, in violent rapture/Wars lay sons in, fields unknown/Hope to quell the disappointment/Justice born and mercy shown/Gloria, Gloria, peace is here. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is an old, traditional carol. Jars of Clay go the pretty quiet root here, forgoing synthesizers for the sounds of a piano and light instrumentation. “Evergreen,” written by the band, is a wonderful violin piece that will definitely remind you of walking on crunchy snow from the first note.

“Christmastime is Here” is an old favorite of mine. Jars of Clay do a great job conveying the joy of the season. Every artist puts out a version of “Drummer Boy” at some point in their careers, don’t they? It seems like as right of passage or something. Jars of Clay have gotten it out of the way, right out of the box. “Gabriel’s Message,” is another traditional carol. Instead of synth layers, the band has combined their voices with a cello to create a fantastic rendition of this holiday favorite. “In the Bleak Midwinter” is a song written by Jars of Clay and once again, they got a lyrical assist from Christina Georgina Rossetti. The orchestral arrangements on this song are second to none. The album ends with a happy, bell-ladden “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”

With all the Christmas albums out there today, it’s hard to bring anything new to the table. However, Jars of Clay seeks to blur the lines of traditional Christmas music with their album, Christmas Songs. By combining holiday favorites with their own unique arrangements and compositions, they have created an album for their existing fans and holiday themed music for those bored by the same old thing.