Jars of Clay
Good Monsters
(SonyBMG)
When is a Christian band so good that religiophobes can no longer dismiss it? When the devil might bob his head to it, not necessarily writhing in agony. Aside from the lyric “the light on Jesus’ face,” still a shock to hear over screaming guitar, in “All My Tears,” there’s not much on Good Monsters that would mark Jars of Clay as churchy. The band is earnest, hoping to lead by example and to bolster a rather solid, almost decade-long body of tunes. As for performance and passion, the Illinois foursome is similar to Midnight Oil and can make the likes of Coldplay seem bloodless. “Take Me Higher” hits spiritual quest with a Crazy Horse kick. This is one cagey God squad.
—Doug Taylor
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.