As good as Jars of Clay's sophomore effort Much Afraid was, their third effort, If I Left The Zoo, is the true fulfillment of the promise the group showed in their eponymous debut. On the strength of that first album and the single "Flood," Jars broke wide open with both Christian and secular audiences.
The second album, which did little more than mark time (but in a grand way), found the group pulling back a bit to learn and build and regroup after that still amazing debut. But, on If I Left The Zoo, band members show they are now ready and they step out into bright, new, and exciting territory. This is a band that's declaring "This is who we are -- and we know it's good."
Singer Dan Haseltine, with the rest of the group, sounds positively energized. While their trademark use of strings and orchestral arrangements remains, this time around various guitars and keyboards dominate -- to great effect. One of Jars's continuing attractions is their ability to blend sounds in new and edgy ways, while writing lyrics that challenge the brain as much as their sound challenges the ear.
No small part of the success of this disc can be attributed to the "let's take a chance and see what happens" work of producer Dennis Herring. Clearly Herring, who has also worked with Counting Crows, encouraged the band to push the limits musically and lyrically. There is a decidedly harder sound to this disc - even the songs that would be considered the ballads travel on the edge.
In the discs' debut single, "Unforgetful You," Haseltine and crew sing about commitment, or lack thereof, to Jesus Christ:
"You never minded giving us the stars/Then showing us how blind
and unaware of You we are/You painted me a picture and showed me
how to see/Though I just won't behold it/Unless it pertains to
me"
Jars Of Clay have often written collaboratively as a group and that practice largely continues on this disc. Sometimes they write songs that at first glance appear to obscure the meaning. Reality? The meaning is there, you just have to work a little for it. You have to take the song in and process it through your own filters, apply it to your life, and then see what it means to you.
Certainly, themes are found in their songs such as abandonment, unearned love, relationships, trust or lack of, but the beauty of many of their songs lie in the personal interpretation each person can give to them. For instance, in the song "Famous Last Words," which has Haseltine playing, of all things, a toy piano, a relationship is in trouble - but is it a romantic relationship or is it the story of a person who keeps putting off a decision about establishing a relationship with Jesus?
Either. Both. It depends on what you bring into the song. During the song a minute timer goes off signifying that time is running out. Then in a variation of Christianity's standard evangelism question, "If you should die today, do you know where you'd spend eternity?", comes these lines:
"Famous last words/'I'm not ready yet.'/Famous last words/If tomorrow never comes, will I ever know that I was in love?"
Those are lines that will prick in the consciousness -- and stay there.
Throughout this disc, keyboardist Charlie Lowell adds the most interesting touches with a Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer, pump organ, or accordian. It cannot be stressed enough how important Lowell's contributions are. He brings in some of the most interesting sounds -- and at the most interesting times.
In the song "Grace," the group examines how even though the grace of God is just exactly what each and every one of us needs, we often turn our backs on that grace to embrace, instead, those things life chains to us:
"God, I admit I've loved these chains/And crawling around this cage sometimes has its advantages/I know someday this could get old/And I'll need Your healing water to find my home."
But, the singer realizes that we are not bound by those chains unless we choose to be: "I feel Your grace come running over every road/I love the way You're calling overflow." All we have to do, Haseltine sings, is accept it -- crawl out of our cage and accept the grace of God.
The song "Can't Erase It" has each member of the group adding various pieces of percussion - "barber shop raga percussion," "gratuitous percussion," "provocative percussion," "exotic percussion," and "primal percussion" -- along with their other musical duties.
This song is pure pop pleasure. There's some Beatles in the guitars, some Beach Boys in the harmonies, and some Electric Light Orchestra thrown in for good measure. But, that doesn't mean it's derivative -- far from it. The song borrows, but doesn't copy.
Jars Of Clay have delivered on the promise they've displayed throughout their career. If I Left The Zoo is a disc that will be remembered as the one that sealed their reputation. Expect more interaction with secular radio.