| Much Afraid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 46:06 | |||
| Label | Essential | |||
| Producer | Stephen Lipson | |||
| Jars of Clay chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Exclusive pre-release cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Cross Rhythms | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C−[3] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  [4] |
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.
Background
The title is a reference to Hannah Hurnard's 1955 novel Hinds' Feet on High Places, whose main character was named Much Afraid.
The album marked various musical and lyrical differences to its predecessor.
"Fade to Grey" and "Frail" were both previously from the group's demo recording Frail in 1994. All other tracks from that demo were recorded for the debut album Jars of Clay in 1995. Both songs were changed significantly, especially "Frail", which was previously an instrumental piece and now contained lyrics. Notably, these songs were two of the first songs written by Jars of Clay.
The album features the multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells, who went on to produce OneRepublic, Katy Perry, Pink, and Rufus Wainwright, playing drums and bass guitar on almost every song; he also co-wrote "Tea and Sympathy" and the single "Crazy Times".
The song "Five Candles (You Were There)" was originally written for the soundtrack to the Jim Carrey film Liar Liar, as the film is centred on a five-year old's birthday wish, but it was cut from the credits in favor of a blooper reel. The song was subsequently featured on a few other movie soundtracks, like the movie Jack Frost (1998 film).
One song recorded during the Much Afraid sessions that did not make the final track listing is "Fly Farther". The song, featuring vocals by Alison Krauss, was later released in 1999 on the band's early rarities collection The White Elephant Sessions.
Much Afraid earned the band a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jars of Clay (Dan Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Stephen Mason, and Matt Odmark), except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overjoyed" | Jars of Clay, Greg Wells, Mark Hudson | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Fade to Grey" | Jars of Clay, Matt Bronleewe | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Tea and Sympathy" | Haseltine, Wells, Hudson | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Crazy Times" | 3:34 | |
| 5. | "Frail" | 6:57 | |
| 6. | "Five Candles (You Were There)" | 3:48 | |
| 7. | "Weighed Down" | 3:39 | |
| 8. | "Portrait of an Apology" | 5:43 | |
| 9. | "Truce" | 3:11 | |
| 10. | "Much Afraid" | 3:53 | |
| 11. | "Hymn" | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The Chair" (from the Long Kiss Goodnight soundtrack) | 5:22 |
| 13. | "Sleepers" | 1:54 |
A bonus three-track disc was bundled with early copies of the album and made available exclusively through Family Christian Bookstores. All three tracks were recorded live acoustically on July 3, 1997, at the Quad, with no remastering or editing of the songs.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crazy Times" | |
| 2. | "Liquid" | |
| 3. | "The Coffee Song" |
Reception
The album was highly anticipated due to the success and acclaim of the band's eponymous debut album, but was not as well received. Despite debuting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 (the group's first record had failed to reach the Top 40), it quickly slid down the chart, its sales failing to match those of its predecessor. The lead single, "Crazy Times", did not perform well on mainstream radio. It was, however, better received on Christian radio.
Charts and certifications
- Album
| Year | Billboard 200 | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 8 | Platinum |
- Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Crazy Times" | Modern Rock Tracks | 38 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[5] | 199 |
Personnel
Jars of Clay
- Dan Haseltine – vocals, percussion
- Charlie Lowell – keyboards, acoustic piano, organ, backing vocals
- Stephen Mason – guitars, bass, backing vocals
- Matt Odmark – guitars, mandolin, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Greg Wells – bass (1, 2, 3, 8), drums (1–5, 7–10), percussion (4)
- Neil Conti – drums (6)
- Kate St. John – English horn (5)
- Ronn Huff – string arrangements (2, 5, 8, 11)
- The Nashville String Machine – strings (2, 5, 8, 11)
- Richard Niles – string arrangements (3)
- Gavyn Wright – conductor (6)
- The London Session Orchestra – strings (6)
Production
- Stephen Lipson – producer
- Robert Beeson – executive producer, art direction
- Heff Moraes – engineer, mixing
- Chuck Linder – assistant engineer
- Mike Griffith – string engineer
- Adam Hatley – assistant string engineer
- Don C. Tyler – digital editing
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles, California
- Michelle Knapp – art direction
- Skye Communications – art direction, design, layout
- Photodisc – cover photography
- Martyn Galina-Jones – inside photography
- Norma Jean Roy – inside photography
References
- ↑ AllMusic review
- ↑ Cross Rhythms review
- ↑ Diehl, Matt (October 17, 1997). "Album Review: 'Much Afraid' | Entertainment Weekly". ew.com. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ↑ Rimmer, Mike (October 1997). "Jars of Clay - Much Afraid". Cross Rhythms (41).
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2020.