Good Monsters is the seventh full-length studio album from Jars of Clay, released by Essential Records on September 5, 2006. This is their last album of new material from Essential Records and it is said to be lyrically their most aggressive album to date. It features eleven original songs, and a remake of "All My Tears" by Julie Miller. It also features guest appearances by singer/songwriter Kate York (on "Even Angels Cry"), Leigh Nash, of Sixpence None the Richer (on "Mirrors & Smoke"), and the African Children's Choir (on "Light Gives Heat").
"Dead Man (Carry Me)", the first single from the album, was released to radio stations on June 23, 2006.[8] "Work" was released as the second single, along with its music video, in late August. The band also released a music video for the album track "Good Monsters". In the September 2006 edition of CCM Magazine, the band credited fellow artist Ashley Cleveland with inspiring the improvisational sound of the album.
In an editor's fall albums overview in CCM Magazine, Good Monsters was called, "the album that Jars of Clay will be remembered for." It ended up taking the award for the CCM Magazine staff picks as album of the year, winning four out of the five spaces.
Overview
Concerning the album's title and themes, Dan Haseltine explains, "I was not sure how all of the experiences of the last few years would translate into music. There have been so many things to look at and describe. This record is part confessional, part euphoric love poem, bitter separation and part benediction. It was born out of many experiences and conversations between addicts, failures, lovers, loners, believers, and beggars. And so the language of recovery and the honest discourse about our attempts to live apart from God and apart from each other is a theme. Engaging people who are doing the hard work of laying their lives open to others, and avoiding isolation, has allowed me to see that there is both immeasurable evil and unfathomable good mixing under my own skin and it is grace, mercy and freedom that allow me to not simply be a monster, but to be a good monster."[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jars of Clay (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matt Odmark), except where noted
Richard Dodd – mastering at RichardDodd.com, Nashville, Tennessee
Conor Farley – A&R coordinator
Michelle Pearson – A&R production
Tim Parker – art direction
Jonathan Richter – art direction, cover design, packaging design
Wolf Hoffman – photography
Star Klem – stylist
Robin Geary – hair, make-up
Blackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee – recording studio
Sputnik Sound, Nashville, Tennessee – recording studio
Blackbird Studios, Sherman Oaks, California – mixing location
TRS West, Sherman Oaks, California – mixing location
Resonate Music, Burbank, California – mixing location
Honors
CCM Magazine named Good Monsters its Album of the Year shortly after its September release, unusually early for such a distinction. Editor Jay Swartzendruber declared it "the landmark album of 2006." He noted that all six members of CCM's editorial team agreed on the selection and that it was "the most profound album the Christian music community has released in years."[9]
Good Monsters was Christianity Today's No. 1 album of 2006,[10] and ranked No. 5 of New Release Tuesday's top 10 albums of 2006.[11]
Jars of Clay is a Christian alternative rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. They consist of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars. Although the band has no permanent drummer or bass guitarist, Jeremy Lutito and Gabe Ruschival of Disappointed by Candy fill these roles for live concerts. Past tour band members include Aaron Sands, Scott Savage, and Joe Porter. Jars of Clay's style is a blend of alternative rock, folk, acoustic, and R&B.
Jars of Clay is the first full-length studio album by Christian rock group Jars of Clay. It was released on October 24, 1995, by Essential Records. The album was released to commercial and critical acclaim, becoming one of the few Christian albums in the mid-1990s to achieve platinum status.
Much Afraid is the second studio album by American Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It was released in 1997 by Essential Records. Following the charting success of the band's debut album, Much Afraid was moderately successful, but was unable to achieve the level of its predecessor.
The Eleventh Hour is the fourth full-length studio album by the band Jars of Clay. It was released in 2002 by Essential Records and marked the band's first attempt at producing a full album by themselves.
Who We Are Instead is the fifth full-length studio album recorded by Christian rock band Jars of Clay and produced by Mitch Dane. It was released in 2003 by Essential Records.
Redemption Songs is the sixth full-length studio album by Jars of Clay. It was released by Essential Records on March 22, 2005.
Daniel Paul Haseltine is an American singer best known as lead vocalist for Christian alternative folk rock group Jars of Clay. Haseltine has performed vocals, piano, accordion, percussion and melodica, while with Jars of Clay. He has had different artistic titles, including songwriter, producer, film composer, music supervisor and art designer.
"Show You Love" is a song written and performed by Jars of Clay. It was the first single from their 2003 studio album, Who We Are Instead. The song was prominently featured in the Adam Sandler motion picture, Spanglish. The song was featured at the end of an episode of The WB television series Summerland, as well as in an episode of the UPN series Kevin Hill. This song also appears on the WOW Hits 2005 compilation album, and the 2008 greatest hits album Jars of Clay: Greatest Hits.
Live Monsters is an EP recorded and released by Jars of Clay. The EP contains songs that were recorded live on their tour in support of their studio album, Good Monsters. At first release, the only method of purchasing the album was either at one of their concerts or through Jars Of Clay's official store. However, Essential has since released the EP for purchase through the iTunes Store and was released to mainstream music stores on September 4, 2007. The track listing of the two releases varies as "All My Tears" and "Love Me" from the initial release are substituted for "Good Monsters" and "Surprise".
"Crazy Times" is a song recorded and performed by Jars of Clay. The song was a writing collaboration between the band members Dan Haseltine and Stephen Mason with songwriters Mark Hudson and Greg Wells. It was the first single from their second studio album, Much Afraid. The single fared well in the mainstream, peaking at No. 38 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The demo version of the song can be found on the album The White Elephant Sessions, while a live version of the song is included on the 2003 double album, Furthermore: From the Studio, From the Stage. This song also appears on the WOW 1999 compilation album.
Christmas Songs is the eighth studio album and first Christmas album from Jars of Clay, that was released on October 16, 2007, through Gray Matters/Nettwerk. This is the first ever release from the band through their newly created Gray Matters imprint via Nettwerk Music Group.
The Essential Jars of Clay is a greatest hits album from Jars of Clay that was released on September 4, 2007 through Essential Records/Legacy Recordings. This is the last release from the band through Essential Records as they have since moved on to the Nettwerk Music Group's Gray Matters imprint. The album is part of the Sony BMG series The Essential, which is a series of greatest hits collections.
"Frail" is a song written and performed by Christian rock band Jars of Clay. It has appeared on many recordings by the group and lends its name to their debut demo release, Frail, from 1994. The song has never been released as a single.
"Fade to Grey" is the first song ever written by Jars of Clay. It originally was recorded for the group's debut demo album, Frail, which was released in 1994. However, when the group recorded tracks for their self-titled debut album, time and budget issues were problems in being able to record the track.
Don't Get Comfortable is the first studio album from contemporary Christian musician Brandon Heath. The album was released on September 5, 2006. The album's first single "I'm Not Who I Was" became a number one hit on Christian radio. The album received one GMA Dove Award nomination with its single "I'm Not Who I Was".
The Long Fall Back to Earth is the ninth full-length studio album from Jars of Clay. It was released on April 21, 2009 through Gray Matters and Essential Records.
"Closer" is a song written and performed by Christian rock act Jars of Clay. The radio single was released in promotion of the band's 2008-released EP, Closer. Although the track also appears on the band's 2009 album The Long Fall Back to Earth, the single was released far in advance of its announcement and release to be considered that album's first single. The version of the song that appears on The Long Fall Back to Earth is a different mix than the one that appears on the Closer EP, containing a longer intro and song length. "Closer" was co-produced by Ron Aniello, who also helped co-produce the band's 2003 release Who We Are Instead and helped co-write a handful of tracks from their Good Monsters studio album.
Roaring Lambs is a collaborative album based on the book, Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World, by Bob Briner. Conceived and directed Dave Palmer, and produced by Steve Taylor, the recording includes a number of CCM artists' musical interpretations of Briner's message about the need to have a positive impact on their culture. The work was nominated for three GMA Dove awards, winning for "Recorded Music Packaging of the Year". Critical reception of the album was mixed, but it was noted for its eclectic artist pairings.
Inland is the eleventh full-length studio album by rock band Jars of Clay, which was released on August 27, 2013, by Gray Matters label. The album was produced by Tucker Martine at Flora Recording & Playback in Portland, Oregon. It has seen significant charting successes, and has garnered critical acclamation. It was nominated for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year by the GMA Dove Awards.
True North is the thirteenth studio album by Christian singer-songwriter Twila Paris, released on September 21, 1999 by Sparrow Records. The album is produced by CCM recording artist and musician Charlie Peacock, who has worked with Paris on her 1990 album Cry for the Desert as a backing vocalist and playing keyboards. The last song on True North, "When You Speak to Me" features guest vocals by Jars of Clay's lead singer Dan Haseltine. The album climbed to number 112 on the Top 200 Albums and number 5 on the Top Christian Albums charts in Billboard magazine.
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